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LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON,   N.  J. 

Presented  by 

Division:^?. ::^..,.. 
Section..:.:::?..! 


IJ 


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nrty.      /T/O 


1 


Q  ^i^yaAj^q  (X^^^''-'^- 


I 


THE  LIFE 


OF 


JESUS    CHRIST 


BY 

REV.    JAMES  ^STALKER.    M.A 


■WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

REV.  GEORGE   G.  LORIMER,  D.D., 


HiMn(ipkS.-(oY-'P»!ple.  (ll(^SS^S, 


FLEMING    K.    REVELL, 

CHICAGO:  I  NEW  YORK: 

148  and  150  Madison  Street.  |  12  Bible  House,  Astor  Place. 

Publisher  of  Evangelical  Literature. 


COPTRIGHT, 

HENRY  A.  SUMNER  AND  COMPANY, 

18  80. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  life  of  Christ  is  an  exhaustless  theme.  It  reveals  a 
character  of  greater  massiveness  than  the  hills,  of  serener 
beauty  than  the  stars,  of  sweeter  fragrance  than  the 
flowers;  higher  than  the  heavens  in  sublimity  and  deeper 
than  the  seas  in  mystery.  As  good  Jean  Paul  has  elo- 
quently said,  "  It  concerns  Him  who,  being  the  holiest 
among  the  mighty,  and  the  mightiest  among  the  holy,  lift- 
ed with  His  pierced  hands  empires  off  their  hinges,  turned 
the  stream  of  centuries  out  of  its  channels,  and  still  gov- 
erns the  ages." 

Christ  in  history  is  undoubtedly  more  marvellous  than 
Christ  in  Galilee;  but  to  understand  His  relation  to  all 
subsequent  time,  and  to  the  course  of  human  events.  His 
brief  earthly  career,  and  briefer  ministry  must  be  carefully 
studied  and  thoroughly  mastered.  Since  His  visible  pres- 
ence faded  from  human  sight  he  has  swayed  a  world-wide 
scepter,  and  has  wrought  more  stupendous  miracles  than 
He  performed  in  Syria.  There  and  then  He  merely  opened 
the  eyes  of  a  few  blind  men,  restored  to  health  some  who 
were  sick,  fed  occasionally  a  hungry  crowd,  and  raised 
from  among  the  dead  an  inconsiderable  number  to  life;  but 
since  His  ascension  He  has  removed  from  nations  the  veil  of 
mental  darkness,  has  imparted  moral  health  to  entire  com- 
munities, has  satisfied  the  longings  of  millions  for  the 
imperishable  bread,  and  has  rescued  tribes,  races,  and 
peoples  from  the  dreariness  of  spiritual  death.  For  some 
nineteen   centuries  He   has   been  the  real  leader  of   the 

3 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

world's  progress.  Its  majestic  movements,  surprising 
revolutions,  startling  reformations,  upheavals,  convulsions, 
and  transformations,  are  traceable  to  His  influence.  His 
name  and  the  power  of  His  name,  are  written  in  the  learn- 
ing, art,  science,  government  of  all  these  ages,  and  they 
blaze  conspicuously  on  the  fair  brow  of  modern  civiliza- 
tion. How  intensely  interesting,  and  how  immensely 
important  then  must  be  the  biography  that  explains  the 
secret  of  such  measureless  potency,  and  that  lays  bare  the 
cause  of  such  gigantic  and  practically  boundless  sover- 
eignty. Only  in  the  faithful  record  of  the  life,  in  the 
narrative  of  its  origin,  surroundings,  vicissitudes,  peculiari- 
ties and  consummation  can  the  true  solution  of  the  problem 
involved  be  discovered;  and  it  is  this  conviction  that  leads 
so  many  thoughtful  students  to  lavish  the  wealth  of  their 
learning  on  biographies  of  Jesus,  and  that  constrains  so 
many  more  earnest  inquirers  to  ponder  unweariedly  the 
results  of  their  labors.  They  alike  delve  among  the  roots 
that  they  may  understand  the  flower;  they  dive  into  the 
spring  that  they  may  comprehend  the  stream;  they  uncover 
the  footprints  that  they  may  measure  the  feet,  and  they 
lift  once  more  the  dead  hand  into  life  that  they  may  ascer- 
tain how  it  sways  so  mighty  a  scepter.  « 

The  author  of  the  following  pages  has  made  a  fresh 
efi'ort  in  this  direction,  especially  adapted  to  the  young. 
Its  claims  on  their  attention  will  be  more  fully  appreciated 
by  its  perusal  than  by  a  preparatory  review;  and  yet  it 
may  be  said  on  its  behalf  that  -in  addition  to  its  modesty 
and  simplicity,  and  apart  from  its  incidental,  but  effective, 
treatment  of  the  question  of  questions,  to  which  allusion 
has  been  made,  it  suggests  to  the  youthful  reader  some 
highly  important  thoughts  that  can  not  fail  to  prove  of  last- 
.ing  benefit. 

The  first  of  these  is,  that  history  can  not  be  explained 


INTRODUCTION.  0 

on  the  materialistic  principles  of  Buckle  and  Draper.  It 
is  neither  a  science  of  averages  nor  a  philosophy  of  fatal- 
ity. The  sources  of  its  movements,  and  the  order  of  their 
occurrence  are  spiritual  and  intellectual.  They  are  to  be 
traced  to  mind,  to  thought,  to  free  mental  agency,  not  to  a 
physical  necessity,  at  once  both  unchanging  and  irrevoca- 
ble. Christ  entered  the  world,  and  His  ministry  arrested 
the  course  of  human  development  and  progress.  He  was^  Q 
not  the  outgrowth  of  His  times,  but  their  antithesis.  He  ' 
was  not  born  of  their  spirit,  but  was  rather  its  antagonist. 
And  He  changed  their  character,  and  laid  the  foundations 
of  a  new  history,  a  history  as  different  from  the  past  as 
cosmos  is  from  chaos.  What  is  true  of  Him,  is,  in  a  less 
degree,  true  of  others.  Confucius  created  China,  Buddha 
fashioned  India,  and  to  them  may  be  traced  the  course  of 
events  which  make  up  the  annals  of  these  vast  empires. 
So  inventors,  philosophers,  reformers,  of  various  ages  and 
of  various  countries,  are  forces  that  modify  and  mold  so- 
ciety, and  that  are  constantly  diverting  the  stream  of 
advancement  into  new  channels.  They  are  the  real  factors 
of  history;  and  the  recognition  of  this  fact  imparts  to 
humanity  its  true  importance,  and  reveals  the  vastness  of 
individual  power  and  the  awfulness  of  individual  responsi- 
bility. 

It  is  also  suggested  by  this  study  of  Christ's  life,  that 
of  all  the  forces  that  govern  in  history,  the  spiritual  are  the 
most  mighty  and  irresistible.  Jesus  was  not  a  soldier,  not 
a  temporal  sovereign,  not  a  merchant-prince,  nor  indeed, 
anything  very  great  as  this  world  counts  greatness.  He 
was  a  teacher,  a  moralist,  prophet,  preacher,  a  representa- 
tive of  the  classes  who  are  distinguished  by  ideas,  not  by 
swords,  or  wealth,  or  scepters.  By  the  Apostle  John  He  is 
called  the  Word,  the  symbol  of  thought,  the  Word  that 
was  with  God,  and   hence  a  Word   saturated  through  and 


INTEODUCTION. 


through  with  spiritual  thought,  with  thought  of  the  Eternal 
and  Invisible  One,  and  of  man's  relation  and  duty  to  Him. 
And  it  was  this  that  paralyzed  the  Roman  empire,  that  up- 
turned its  institutions,  and  introduced  a  new  civilization. 
In  the  progress  of  art,  in  the  revolutions  of  various  lands, 
and  in  the  improvement  of  government,  similar  forces  are 
discernable.  They  are  all  rooted  in  spiritual  ideas,  and 
all  grow  from  spiritual  germs.  Not  only  sprang  the  Refor- 
mation, with  all  of  its  attendant  blessings,  from  this  source, 
but  to  it  may  be  traced  the  rise  of  liberty  and  the  triumph 
of  philanthropy.  From  all  of  which  the  young  may  learn 
that  the  measure  of  their  influence  on  the  affe,  and  on  future 
ages,  will  simply  be  the  measure  of  their  spirituality  in 
thought  and  life. 

But  there  is  a  final  impression  which  the  perusal  of  these 
pages  ought  to  make  upon  the  reader.  It  is  that  man  is 
greater  than  his  surroundings,  and  that  even  the  most  ad- 
verse circumstances  are  no  excuse  for  weakness  of  charac- 
ter. It  is  possible  to  conquer  difficulties,  and  in  so  doing 
to  generate  or  acquire  spiritual  force.  This  is  abundantly 
illustrated  in  the  life  of  Christ.  From  poverty,  from  an 
obscure  and  ill-reputed  village,  and  from  an  atmosphere  of 
superstition  and  ignorance.  He  emerged  strong  in  right- 
eousness and  stainless  in  purity.  His  after  trials,  His  strug- 
gles with  hunger  and  weariness,  and  His  conflicts  with 
wickedness  and  worldliness  dimmed  not,  nor  weakened 
His  moral  excellence,  but  rather  increased  its  brightness 
and  its  strength.  Others,  like  Jesus,  have  withstood  the 
shock  of  temptation  and  tribulation,  their  integrity  and 
piety  taking  deeper  root  on  account  of  the  tempests  which 
have  burst  upon  them  and  that  have  threatened  them  with 
destruction.  Shall  we  doubt  that  this  is  still  possible? 
Shall  we  form  the  wretched  habit  of  attributing  our  failures 
to  unfavorable  environments,  when  not  only  the  lives  of 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

saints,  but  of  poets,  artists,  and  statesmen  teach  that  an 
earnest  purpose  and  energetic  will  are  more  than  able  to 
surmount  and  overcome  them?  No  graver  error  can  be 
committed  by  the  young.  Its  evil  results  are  incalculable. 
Indolence,  supineness,  listlessness  attend  it;  and  morose- 
ness,  melancholy,  and  discontent  are  its  sure  and  bitter 
fruits.  It  dooms  its  victims  to  uselessness  and  unhappiness; 
to  dissatisfaction  with  the  present  and  to  dread  of  the  future. 
Lord  Bacon,  referring  to  the  philosopher,  who  when 
contemplating  the  heavens  fell  into  the  stream,  says  :  "  If 
he  had  looked  down  he  might  have  seen  the  stars  in  the/  ^ 
water,  but  looking  aloft  he  could  not  see  the  water  in  the' 
stars."  And  there  are  writers  so  exclusively  and  anxiously 
concerned  about  the  supernatural  in  Christ,  that  they  over- 
look the  real  value  of  His  life  in  the  flesh,  and  drown  their 
influence  for  good  in  vague  and  fathomless  speculations. 
They  should  rather  permit  the  earthly  to  reflect  the  heav- 
enly. This  our  author  does;  and  in  so  doing,  he  not  only 
saves  himself  and  others  from  profitless  speculations,  but 
in  embosoming  the  Divine  in  the  human,  suggests  these 
practical  reflections,  which,  if  applied,  must  elevate  his 
readers  and  bring:  enduring;  satisfaction  to  his  own  heart. 

Chicago,  October,  1880.  G.  C.  L. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


The  changes  introduced  into  this  new  edition  are  few  and 
slight.  But  1  am  glad  to  have  this  opportunity  of  pointing 
out,  more  distinctly  than  is  done  in  the  text,  that  the 
names  given  to  the  different  years  of  our  Lord's  public 
ministry  are  descriptive  only  of  their  most  prominent 
characteristics,  and  especially  that  in  what  I  have  called 
the  Year  of  Public  Favor,  although  the  disposition  of  the 
general  mind  toward  Him  was  such  as  fully  to  justify  the 
designation.  He  was  already  assailed  by  the  authorities 
with  much  of  the  kind  of  opposition  which  is  described  in 
the  fifth  chapter. 

The  kind  reception  accorded  to  the  first  edition  of  this 
little  Handbook  seems  to  show  that,  notwithstanding  the 
number  of  works  on  the  same  subject  which  have  recently 
issued  from  the  press,  there  was  need  of  a  book  which,  by 
exhibiting  in  the  briefest  possible  space  the  main  features 
and  the  general  course  of  our  Lord's  life,  should  cause  the 
well-known  details  to  flow  together  in  the  reader's  mind 
and  shape  themselves  into  an  easily  comprehended  whole. 

Kirkcaldy,  March  1,  1880. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

CHAP.      I. — THE  BFRTH,  INFANCY  AND  YOUTH  OP  JESUS,      .  10 

CHAP.     II. — THE  NATION  AND  THE   TIME, 28 

DIVISIONS  OF   HIS  PUBLIC   MINISTRY, ,48 

CHAP.  III. — THE  YEAR   OF  OBSCURITY, 50 

CHAP.  IV. — THE   YEAR   OF  PUBLIC   FAVOR, 56 

CHAP.     V. — THE  YEAR  OF  OPPOSITION, 92 

CHAP.  VI. — THE   END, 112 

CONCLUSION, 151 

HINTS  FOR  TEACHERS  AND  QUESTIONS  FOR   PUPILS,     .           .           .  153 


CHAPTER    I. 
THE  BIRTH,  INFANCY  AND   YOUTH  OF  JESUS. 
Paragraphs  1-5.  The  Nativity. 

6-10.  The  Group  round  the  Infant. 

7.  The  Shepherds ;   8.  Simeon  and  Anna;  9.  The 
Wise  Men ;   10.  Herod. 

11-24.  The  Silent  Years  at  Nazareth. 
11, 13.  Lack  of  Trustworthy  Records. 
15,  16.  His  Home. 
17-24.  Educational  Influences — 

18.  The  Old  Testament;  19.  Human  Nature; 
20.  Scenery  of  Nazareth;  21-23.  Visits  to 
Jerusalem. 


10 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE    BIRTH,    INFANCY,    AND    YOUTH    OF    JESUS. 

/.  The  Nativiiy. — Augustus  was  sitting  on  the  throne 
of  the  Roman  empire,  and  the  touch  of  his  finger  could  set 
the  machinery  of  government  in  motion  over  well-nigh 
the  whole  of  the  civilized  world.  He  was  proud  of  his 
power  and  wealth,  and  it  was  one  of  his  favorite  occupa- 
tions to  compile  a  register  of  the  populations  and  revenues 
of  his  vast  dominions.  So  he  issued  an  edict,  as  the  Evan- 
gelist Luke  says,  "  that  all  the  world  should  be  taxed,"  or 
to  express  accurately  what  the  words  probably  mean,  that 
a  census,  to  serve  as  a  basis  for  future  taxation,  should  be 
taken  of  all  his  subjects.  One  of  the  countries  affected  by 
this  decree  was  Palestine,  whose  king,  Herod  the  Great, 
was  a  vassal  of  Augustus.  It  set  the  whole  land  in  mo- 
tion; for,  in  accordance  with  ancient  Jewish  custom,  the 
census  was  taken,  not  at  the  places  where  the  inhabitants 
were  at  the  time  residing,  but  at  the  places  to  which  they 
belonged  as  members  of  the  original  twelve  tribes. 

2.  Amonor  those  whom  the  edict  of  Augcustus  thus  from 
afar  drove  forth  to  the  highways  were  a  humble  pair  in  the 
Galilean  village  of  Nazareth— (J^oseph,  the  carpenter  of  the 
village,  and  Mary,  his  espoused  wife.  They  had  to  go  a 
journey  of  nearly  a  hundred  miles  in  order  to  inscribe 
themselves  in  the  proper  register;  for,  though  peasants, 
they  had  the  blood  of  kings  in  their  veins,  and  belonged  to 
the  ancient  and  royal  town  of  Bethlehem,  in  the  far  south 
of  the  country.     Day  by  day  the  emperor's  will,  like  an  in- 

11 


12  THE    LIFE    OF   JESUS    CHRIST. 

visible  hand,  forced  them  southward  along  the  weary  road, 
till  at  last  they  climbed  the  rocky  ascent  that  led  to  the  gate 
of  the  town,  —  he  terrified  with  anxiety,  and  she  well-nigh 
dead  with  fatigue.  They  reached  the  inn,  but  found  it 
crowded  with  strangers,  who,  bent  on  the  same  errand  as 
themselves,  had  arrived  before  them.  No  friendly  house 
opened  its  door  to  receive  them,  and  they  were  fain  to 
clear  for  their  lodging  a  corner  of  the  inn-yard,  else  occu- 
pied by  the  beasts  of  the  numerous  travelers.  There,  that 
very  night,  she  brought  forth  her  first-born  Son;  and  be- 
cause there  was  neither  womanly  hand  to  assist  her,  nor 
couch  to  receive  Him,  she  wrapped  Him  in  swaddling- 
clothes  and  laid  Him  in  a  manger. . 

3.  Such  was  the  manner  of  the  birth  of  Jesus.  I  never 
felt  the  full  pathos  of  the  scene,  till,  standing  one  day  in  a 
room  of  an  old  inn  in  the  market-town  of  Eisleben, 'in 
Central  Germany,  I  was  told  that  on  that  very  spot,  four 
centuries  ago,  amidst  the  noise  of  a  market-day  and  the 
bustle  of  a  public-house,  the  wife  of  the  poor  miner,  Hans 
Luther,  who  happened  to  be  there  on  business,  being  sur- 
prised like  Mary  with  sudden  distress,  brought  forth  in 
sorrow  and  poverty  the  child  who  was  to  become  Martin 
Luther,  the  hero  of  the  Reformation  and  the  maker  of 
modern  Europe. 

4.  Next  morning  the  noise  and  bustle  broke  out  again 
in  the  inn  and  inn-yard;  the  citizens  of  Bethlehem  went 
about  their  work  ;  the  registration  proceeded  ;  and  in  the 
meantime  the  greatest  event  in  the  history  of  the  world 
had  taken  place.  We  never  know  where  a  great  begin- 
ning may  be  happening.  Every  arrival  of  a  new  soul  in 
the  world  is  a  mystery  and  a  shut  casket  of  possibilities. 
Joseph  and  Mary  alone  knew  the  tremendous  secret — that 
on  her,  the  peasant  maiden  and  carpenter's  bride,  had  been 


BIRTH,  INFANCY    AND    YOUTH.  13 

conferred  the  honor  of  being  the  mother  of  Him  who  was 
the  Messiah  of  her  race,  the  Savior  of  the  world,  and  the 
Son  of  God. 

5.  It  had  been  foretold  in  ancient  prophecy  that  He 
should  be  born  on  this  very  spot :  "  But  thou,  Bethlehem 
Ephratah,  though  thou  be  little  among  the  thousands  of 
Judah,  yet  out  of  thee  shall  He  come  forth  unto  me  that  is 
to  be  ruler  in  Israel."  The  proud  emperor's  decree  drove 
southward  the  anxious  couple.  Yes  ;  but  another  hand 
was  leading  them  on — the  hand  of  Him  who  overrules  the 
purposes  of  emperors  and  kings,  of  statesmen  and  parlia- 
ments, for  the  accomplishment  of  His  designs,  though  they 
know  them  not  ;  who  hardened  the  heart  of  Pharaoh,  called 
Cyrus  like  a  slave  to  His  foot,  made  the  mighty  Nebuchad- 
nezzar His  servant,  and  in  the  same  way  could  overrule  for 
His  own  far-reaching  purpose  the  pride  and  ambition  of 
Augustus. 

6.  The  Group  around  the  Infant — Although  Jesus  made 
his  entry  on  the  stage  of  life  so  humbly  and  silently  ;  al- 
though the  citizens  of  Bethlehem  dreamed  not  what  had 
happened  in  their  midst  ;  although  the  emperor  of  Rome 
knew  not  that  his  decree  had  influenced  the  nativity  of  a 
king  who  was  yet  to  bear  rule,  not  only  over  the  Roman 
world,  but  over  many  a  land  where  Rome's  eagles  never 
flew  ;  although  the  history  of  mankind  went  thundering 
forward  next  morning  in  the  channels  of  its  ordinary  in- 
terests, quite  unconscious  of  the  event  which  had  happened, 
yet  it  did  not  altogether  escape  notice.  As  the  babe  leaped 
in  the  womb  of  the  ag^ed  Elizabeth  when  the  mother  of  her 
Lord  approached  her,  so,  when  He  who  brought  the  new 
world  with  Him  appeared,  there  sprang  up  anticipations 
and  forebodings  of  the  truth  in  various  representatives 
of   the    old    world    that  was   passing  away.      There  went 


14  THE    LII^E    OF   JESUS    CHRIST. 

through  sensitive  and  waiting  souls,  here  and  there,  a  dim 
and  half-conscious  thrill,  which  drew  them  round  the  In- 
fant's cradle.  Look  at  the  group  which  gathered  to  gaze 
on  Him  !  It  represented  in  miniature  the  whole  of  His 
future  history. 

7.  First    came    the    Shepherds    from    the    neighboring 
fields.     That  which  was  unnoticed  by  the  kings  and  great 
jOnes  of  this  world,  was  so  absorbing  a  theme  to  the  princes 
of  heaven,  that  they  burst  the  bonds  of  the  invisibility  in 
which  they  shroud  themselves,  in  order  to   express  their 
joy  and  explain  the  significance  of  the  great  event.     And 
seeking  the  most  worthy  hearts  to  which  they  might  com- 
municate   it,   they  found  them  in  these  simple  shepherds, 
living  the  life  of  contemplation  and  prayer  in  the  sugges- 
tive fields  where  Jacob  had  kept  his  flocks,  where  Boaz 
and    Ruth    had  been  wedded,  and   David,  the  great  Old 
Testament  type,  had   spent  his  youth,  and  there,  by  the 
study  of  the  secrets  and  needs  of  their  own  hearts,  learn- 
ing far  more  of  the  nature  of  the  Savior  who  was  to  come 
than  the  Pharisee  amidst  the  religious  pomp  of  the  temple, 
or  the  scribe  burrowing  without  the  seeing  eye  among  the 
prophecies    of    the   Old   Testament.     The    angel    directed 
them   where   the   Savior   was,   and   they  hastened    to    the 
town  to  find  Him.     They  were  the  representatives  of  the 
peasant  people,  with  the   "  honest   and  good   heart,"  who 
,  afterwards  formed  the  bulk  of  His  disciples. 
.        8.  Next  to  them  came  Simeon  and  Anna,  the  represent- 
I  atives  of  the  devout  and   intelligent  students  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, who  at  that  time  were  expecting  the  appearance  of 
the  Messiah,  and  afterwards  contributed  some  of  His  most 
faithful  followers.     On  the  eighth  day  after   His  birth,  the 
Child  was  circumcised,  thus  being   "  made  under  the  law," 
entering  into  the  covenant,  and  inscribing  His  name  in  His 
own    blood  in   the   roll  of    the    nation.     Soon    thereafter, 


BIRTH,  INFANCY    AND    YOUTH.  15 

when  the  days  of  Mary's  purification  were  ended,  they 
carried  Him  from  Bethlehem  to  Jerusalem  to  present  Him 
to  the  Lord  in  the  temple.  It  was  "  the  Lord  of  the  temple 
entering  the  temple  of  the  Lord;"  but  few  visitors  to  the 
spot  could  have  been  less  noticed  by  the  priests,  for  Mary, 
instead  of  offering  the  sacrifice  usual  in  such  cases,  could 
only  afford  two  turtle  doves,  the  offering  of  the  poor.  Yet 
there  were  eyes  looking  on,  undazzled  by  the  shows  and 
glitter  of  the  world,  from  which  His  poverty  could  not 
conceal  Him.  Simeon,  an  aged  saint,  who  in  answer  to 
many  prayers  had  received  a  secret  promise  that  he  should 
not  die  till  he  had  seen  the  Messiah,  met  the  parents  and 
the  child,  when  suddenly  it  shot  through  him  like  a  flash 
of  lightning  that  this  at  last  was  He,  and,  taking  Him  up 
in  his  arms,  he  praised  God  for  the  advent  of  the  Lio-ht  to 
lighten  the  Gentiles  and  the  Glory  of  His  people  Israel. 
While  he  was  still  speaking,  another  witness  joined  the 
group.  It  was  Anna,  a  saintly  widow,  who  literally  dwelt 
in  the  courts  of  the  Lord,  and  had  purified  the  eye  of  her 
spirit  with  the  euphrasy  and  rue  of  prayer  and  fasting  till 
it  could  pierce  with  prophetic  glance  the  veils  of  sense. 
She  united  her  testimony  to  the  old  man's,  praising  God 
and  confirming  the  mighty  secret  to  the  other  expectant 
souls  who  were  looking  for  redemption  in  Israel. 

9.  The  shepherds  and  these  aged  saints  were  near  the 
spot  where  the  new  force  entered  the  world.  But  it 
thrilled  susceptible  souls  at  a  much  greater  distance.  It 
was  probably  after  the  presentation  in  the  temple  and  after 
the  parents  had  carried  back  their  child  to  Bethlehem, 
where  it  was  their  intention  to  reside  instead  of  returninor 
to  Nazareth,  that  He  was  visited  by  the  Wise  Men  of  the 
East.  These  were  members  of  the  learned  class  of  the 
Magians,  the  repositaries  of  science,  philosophy,  medical 
skill,  and  religious  mysteries  in  the  countries  beyond  the 


16  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

Euphrates.  Tacitus,  Suetonius,  and  Josephus  tell  us  that 
*x  in  the  regions  from  whence  they  came,  there  then  pre- 
/  vailed  an  expectation  that  a  great  king  was  to  arise  in 
Judasa.  We  know  also  from  the  calculations  of  the  great 
astronomer  Kepler,  that  at  this  very  time  there  was  visible 
I  in  the  heavens  a  brilliant  temporary  star.  Now  the  Magi 
were  ardent  students  of  astrology,  and  believed  that  any 
unusual  phenomenon  in  the  heavens  was  the  sign  of  some 
remarkable  event  on  earth;  and  it  is  possible  that,  connect- 
ing this  star,  to  which  their  attention  would  undoubtedly 
be  eagerly  directed,  with  the  expectation  mentioned  by  the 
ancient  historians,  they  were  led  westward  to  see  if  it  had 
been  fulfilled.  But  there  must  also  have  been  awakened 
in  them  a  deeper  want,  to  which  God  responded.  If  their 
search  began  in  scientific  curiosity  and  speculation,  God 
led  it  on  to  the  perfect  truth.  That  is  His  way  always. 
Instead  of  making  tirades  against  the  imperfect.  He  speaks 
to  us  in  the  language  we  understand,  even  if  it  express 
His  meaning  very  imperfectly,  and  guides  us  thereby  to 
the  perfect  truth.  Just  as  He  used  astrology  to  lead  the 
world  to  astronomy,  and  alchemy  to  conduct  it  to  chem- 
istry, and  as  the  Revival  of  Learning  preceded  the  Reform- 
ation, so  He  used  the  knowledge  of  these  men,  which  was 
half  falsehood  and  superstition,  to  lead  them  to  the  Light 
of  the  world.  Their  visit  was  a  prophecy  of  how  in  future 
.  the  Gentile  world  would  hail  His  doctrine  and  salvation, 
and  bring  its  wealth  and  talents,  its  science  and  philosophy, 
I  to  offer  at  His  feet. 

10.  All  these  gathered  round  His  cradle  to  worship  the 
Holy  Child, — the  shepherds  with  their  simple  wonder, 
Simeon  and  Anna  with  a  reverence  enriched  by  the  trea- 
sured wisdom  and  piety  of  centuries,  and  the  Magi  with 
the  lavish  gifts  of  the  Orient  and  the  open  brow  of  Gentile 
knowledge.      But  while  these  worthy    worshippers    were 


BIRTH,  INFANCY    AND    YOUTH.  17 

gazing  down  or  Him,  there  came  and  looked  over  their 
shoulders  a  sinister  and  murderous  face.  It  was  the  face  of 
Herod.  This  prince  then  occupied  the  throne  of  the  coun- 
try— the  throne  of  David  and  the  Maccabees.  But  he  wag 
an  alien  and  low-born  usurper.  His  subjects  hated  him, 
and  it  was  only  by  Roman  favor  that  he  was  maintained  in 
his  seat.  He  was  able,  ambitious,  and  magnificent.  Yet 
he  had  such  a  cruel,  crafty,  gloomy,  and  filthy  mind  as  you 
must  go  among  Oriental  tyrants  to  meet  with.  He  had 
been  guilty  of  every  crime.  He  had  made  his  very  palace 
swim  in  blood,  having  murdered  his  own  favorite  wife, 
three  of  his  sons,  and  many  others  of  his  relatives.  He 
was  now  old  and  tortured  with  disease,  remorse,  the  sense 
of  unpopularity,  and  a  cruel  terror  of  every  possible  aspi- 
rant to  the  throne  which  he  had  usurped.  The  Magi  had 
naturally  turned  their  steps  to  the  capital,  to  inquire  where 
He  was  to  be  born  whose  sign  they  had  seen  in  the  East. 
The  suggestion  touched  Herod  in  his  sorest  place;  but 
with  diabolical  hypocrisy  he  concealed  his  suspicions. 
Having  learned  from  the  priests  that  the  Messiah  was  to 
be  born  in  Bethlehem,  he  directed  the  strangers  thither, 
but  arranged  thai  they  should  return  and  tell  him  the  very 
house  where  the  new  King  was.  He  hoped  to  cut  Him  off 
at  a  single  blow.  But  he  was  foiled;  for,  being  warned  by 
God,  they  did  not  come  back  to  tell  him,  but  returned  to 
their  own  country  another  way.  Then  his  fury  burst  forth 
like  a  storm,  and  he  sent  his  soldiers  to  murder  every  babe 
under  two  years  of  age  in  Bethlehem.  As  well  might  he 
have  attempted  to  cut  a  mountain  of  adamant  asunder  as 
cut  the  chain  of  the  divine  purposes.  "  He  thrust  his 
sword  into  the  nest,  but  the  bird  was  flown."  Joseph  fled 
with  the  Child  to  Egypt,  and  remained  there  till  Herod 
died,  when  he  returned  and  dwelt  at  Nazareth;  being 
warned  from  Bethlehem,  because  there  he  would  have  been 
B  I* 


9 


18  THE    LIFE    OF   JESUS    CHRIST. 

in  the  kingdom  of  Archelaus,  the  like-minded  son  of  his 
blood-thirsty  father.  ,  Herod's  murderous  face,  glaring 
down  on  the  Infant,  was  a  sad  prophecy  of  how  the  powers 
of  the  world  would  persecute  Him  and  cut  off  His  life 
from  the  earth. 

//.  The  Silent  Years  at  Nazareth. —  The  records  which 
we  possess  up  to  this  point  are,  as  we  have  seen,  compara- 
tively full.  But  with  the  settlement  at  Nazareth,  after  the 
return  from  Egypt,  our  information  comes  to  a  sudden 
stop,  and  over  the  rest  of  the  life  of  Jesus,  till  His  public 
ministry  begins,  a  thick  covering  is  drawn,  which  is  only 
lifted  once.  We  should  have  wished  the  narrative  to  con- 
tinue with  the  same  fulness  through  the  years  of  His  boy- 
hood and  youth.  In  modern  biographies  there  are  few 
parts  more  interesting  than  the  anecdotes  which  they  fur- 
nish of  the  childhood  of  their  subjects,  for  m  these  we  can 
often  see  in  miniature  and  in  charming  simphcity  the  char- 
acter and  the  plan  of  the  future  life.  What  would  we  not 
give  to  know  the  habits,  the  friendships,  the  thoughts, 
the  words,  and  the  actions  of  Jesus  during  so  many  years? 
Only  one  flower  of  anecdote  has  been*  thrown  over  the 
wall  of  the  hidden  garden,  and  it  is  so  exquisite  as  to  fill 
us  with  intense  longing  to  see  the  garden  itself.  But  it 
has  pleased  God,  whose  silence  is  no  less  wonderful  than 
His  words,  to  keep  it  shut. 

12.  It  was  natural  that,  where  God  was  silent  and 
curiosity  was  strong,  the  fancy  of  man  should  attempt  to 
fill  up  the  blank.  Accordingly,  in  the  early  Church  there 
appeared  Apocryphal  Gospels,  pretending  to  give  full  de- 
tails where  the  inspired  Gospels  were  silent.  They  are 
particularly  full  of  the  sayings  and  doings  of  the  childhood 
of  Jesus.  But  they  only  show  how  unequal  the  human 
imagination  was  to  such   a  theme,  and  bring  out  by  the 


BIRTH,  INFANCY    AND    YOUTH.  19 

contrast  of  glitter  and  caricature  the  solidity  and  truthful- 
.  iiess  of  the  Scripture  narrative.  They  make  him  a  worker 
of  frivolous  and  useless  marvels,  who  moulded  birds  of 
clay  and  made  them  fly,  changed  his  playmates  into  kids, 
and  so  forth.  In  short,  they  are  compilations  of  worthless 
and  often  blasphemous  fables. 

13.  These  grotesque  failures  warn  us  not  to  intrude 
with  the  suggestions  of  fancy  into  the  hallowed  enclosure. 
It  is  enough  to  know  that  He  grew  in  wisdom  and  stature, 
and  in  favor  with  God  and  man.  ^  He  was  a  real  child  and 
youth,  and  passed  through  all  the  stages  of  a  natural  de- 
velopment. Body  and  mind  grew  together,  the  one  ex- 
panding to  manly  vigor,  and  the  other  acquiring  more  and 
more  knowledge  and  power.  His  opening  character  ex- 
hibited a  grace  that  made  every  one  who  saw  it  wonder 
and  love  its  goodness  and  purity.^ 

14.  But  though  we  are  forbidden  to  let  the  fancy  loose 
here,  we  are  not  prohibited,  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  our 
duty,  to  make  use  of  such  authentic  materials  as  are  sup- 
plied by  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  time,  or  by  inci- 
dents of  His  later  life  which  refer  back  to  His  earlier 
years,  in  order  to  connect  the  infancy  with  the  period  when 
the  narrative  of  the  Gospels  again  takes  up  tlie  thread  of 
biography.  It  is  possible  in  this  way  to  gain,  at  least  in 
some  degree,  a  true  conception  of  what  He  was  as  a  boy 
and  a  young  man,  and  what  were  the  influences  amidst 
which  His  development  proceeded  through  so  many  silent 
years. 

15.  We  know  amidst  what  kind  of  home  influences  He 
was  brought  up.  His  home  was  one  of  those  which  were 
the  glory  of  His  country,  as  they  are  of  our  own — the 
abodes  of  the  godly  and  intelligent  working  class,  f  Joseph, 
its  head,  was  a  man  saintly  and  wise;  but  the  fact  that  he 


20  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

is  not  mentioned  in  Christ's  afterlife  has  generally  been 
believed  to  indicate  that  he  died  during  the  youth  of  Jesus,) 
perhaps  leaving  the  care  of  the  household  on  His  shoulders.;^ 
His  mother  probably  exercised  the  most  decisive  of  all  ex- 
ternal influences  on  His  development.  What  she  was  may 
be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  she  was  chosen  from  all  the 
women  of  the  world  to  be  crowned  with  the  supreme  honor 
of  womanhood.  The  song  which  she  poured  forth  on  tho 
subject  of  her  own  great  destiny  shows  her  to  have  been  a 
woman  religious,  fervently  poetical,  and  patriotic;  a  stu' 
dent  of  scripture,  and  especially  of  its  great  women,  for  it 
is  saturated  with  Old  Testament  ideas,  and  moulded  on 
Hannah's  song;  a  spirit  exquisitely  humble,  yet  capable 
of  thoroughly  appreciating  the  honor  conferred  upon  her. 
She  was  no  miraculous  queen  of  heaven,  as  superstition 
has  caricatured  her,  but  a  woman  exquisitely  pure,  saintly, 
loving,  and  high-souled.  This  is  aureole  enough.  Jesus 
grew  up  in  her  love  and  passionately  returned  it. 

16.  There  were  other  inmates  of  the  household.  He 
had  brothers  and  sisters.  From  two  of  them,  James  and 
Jude,  we  have  epistles  in  Holy  Scripture,  in  which  we  may 
read  what  their  character  was.  Perhaps  it  is  not  irreverent 
to  infer  from  the  severe  tone  of  their  epistles,  that,  in  their 
unbelieving  state,  they  must  have  been  somewhat  harsh  and 
unsympathetic  men.  At  all  events,  they  never  believed  on 
Him  during  His  lifetime,  and  it  is  not  likely  that  they  were 
close  companions  to  Him  in  Nazareth.  He  was  probably 
much  alone;  and  the  pathos  of  His  saying,  that  a  prophet 
is  not  without  honor  save  in  his  own  country  and  in  his 
own  house,  probably  reached  back  into  the  years  before 
His  ministry  began. 

17.  He  received  His  education  at  home,  or  from  a 
scribe  attached  to  the  village  synagogue.  It  was  only, 
however,  a  poor   man's    education.  (  As  the  scribes   con- 


BIRTH,  INFANCY    AND    YOUTH.  21 

temptuously  said,  He  had  never  learned,  or,  as  we  should 
say,  He  was  not  college-bred.  No;  but  the  love  of  knowl- 
edge was  early  awake  within  Him.  He  daily  knew  the 
joy  of  deep  and  happy  thought;  He  had  the  best  of  all 
keys  to  knowledge  —  the  open  mind  and  the  loving  heart; 
\and  the  three  great  books  lay  ever  open  before  Him  — the 
Bible,  Man,  and  Nature.  ) 

18.  It  is  easy  to  understand  with  what  fervent  enthusi- 
asm He  would  devote  Himself  to  the  Old  Testament;  and 
His  sayings,  which  are  full  of  quotations  from  it,  afford 
abundant  proof  of  how  constantly  it  formed  the  food  of 
His  mind  and  the  comfort  of  His  soul.  His  youthful  study 
of  it  was  the  secret  of  the  marvellous  facility  with  which 
He  made  use  of  it  afterwards  in  order  to  enrich  His  preach- 
ing and  enforce  His  doctrine,  to  repel  the  assaults  of  oppo- 
nents and  overcome  the  temptations  of  the  Evil  One.  His 
quotations  also  show  that  He  read  it  in  the  original  He- 
brew, and  not  in  the  Greek  translation,  which  was  then  in 
general  use.  The  Hebrew  was  a  dead  language  even  in 
Palestine,  just  as  Latin  now  is  in  Italy;  but  He  would 
naturally  long  to  read  it  in  the  very  words  in  which  it  was 
written.  Those  who  have  not  enjoyed  a  liberal  education, 
but  amidst  many  difficulties  have  mastered  Greek  in  order 
to  read  their  New  Testament  in  the  original,  will  perhaps 
best  understand  how,  in  a  country  village,  He  made  Him- 
self master  of  the  ancient  tongue,  and  with  what  delight 
He  was  wont,  in  the  rolls  of  the  synagogue,  or  in  such 
manuscripts  as  He  may  have  Himself  possessed,  to  pore 
over  the  sacred  page.  The  language  in  which  He  thought 
and  spoke  familiarly  was  Aramaic,  a  branch  of  the  same 
stem  to  which  the  Hebrew  belongs.  We  have  fragments 
of  it  in  some  recorded  sayings  of  His,  such  as  "  Talitha, 
cumi,"  and  "  Eloi,  Eloi,  lama  sabachthani."  He  would 
have  the  same  chance  of  learning  Greek  as  a  boy  born  in 


22  THE   Lli'E   OF   JESXTS   CHRIST. 

the  Scottish  Highlands  has  of  learning  English,  "  Galilee 
of  the  Gentiles "  being  then  full  of  Greek-speaking  in- 
habitants. Thus  He  was  probably  master  of  three  lan- 
guages—  one  of  them  the  grand  religious  language  of  the 
world,  in  whose  literature  He  was  deeply  versed;  another,  . 
the  most  perfect  means  of  expressing  secular  thought 
which  has  ever  existed,  although  there  is  no  evidence  that 
He  had  any  acquaintance  with  the  masterpieces  of  Greek 
literature;  and  the  third,  the  language  of  the  common  peo- 
ple, to  whom  His  preaching  was  to  be  specially  addressed. 
19.  There  are  few  places  where  human  nature  can  be 
better  studied  than  in  a  country  village;  for  there  one  sees 
the  whole  of  each  individual  life  and  knows  all  one's  neigh- 
bors thoroughly.  In  a  city  far  more  people  are  seen,  but 
far  fewer  known;  it  is  only  the  outside  of  life  that  is  visi- 
ble. In  a  village  the  view  outwards  is  circumscribed;  but 
the  view  downwards  is  deep,  and  the  view  upwards  unim- 
peded. Nazareth  was  a  notoriously  wicked  town,  as  we 
learn  from  the  proverbial  question.  Can  any  good  thing 
come  out  of  Nazareth?  Jesus  had  no  acquaintance  with 
sin  in  His  own  soul,  but  in  the  town  He  had  a  full  exhibi- 
tion of  the  awful  problem  with  which  it  was  to  be  His  life- 
work  to  deal.  He  was  still  further  brought  into  contact 
with  human  nature  by  His  trade.  That  He  worked  as  a 
carpenter  in  Joseph's  shop  there  can  be  no  doubt.  Who 
could  know  better  than  His  own  townsmen,  who  asked, 
in  their  astonishment  at  His  preaching.  Is  not  this  the  car- 
penter? It  would  be  difficult  to  exhaust  the  significance  of 
the  fact  that  God  chose  for  His  Son,  when  He  dwelt  among 
men,  out  of  all  the  possible  positions  in  which  He  might 
have  placed  Him,  the  lot  of  a  working  man.  It  stamped 
men's  common  toils  with  everlasting  honor.  It  acquainted 
Jesus  with  the  feelings  of  the  multitude,  and  helped  Him 
to  know  what  was  in  man.     It  was  afterwards  said  that  He 


filRTH,  TNFAI^CY    AND    YOUTU.  23 

knew  this  so  well  that  He  needed  not  that  any  man  should 
teach  Him. 

20.  (Travelers  tell  us  that  the  spot  where  He  grew  up  is 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Naza- 
reth is  situated  in  a  secluded,  cup-like  valley  amid  the 
mountains  of  Zebulon,  just  where  they  dip  down  into  the 
plain  of  Esdraelon,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  a  steep 
and  rocky  path.  Its  white  houses,  with  vines  clinging  to 
their  walls,  are  embowered  amidst  gardens  and  groves  of 
olive,  fig,  orange,  and  pomegranate  trees.  The  fields  are 
divided  by  hedges  of  cactus,  and  enamelled  with  innumer- 
able flowers  of  every  hue.  Behind  the  village  rises  a  hill 
five  hundred  feet  in  height,  from  whose  summit  there  is 
seen  one  of  the  most  wonderful  views  in  the  world  —  the 
mountains  of  Galilee,  with  snowy  Hermon  towering  above 
them,  to  the  north;  the  ridge  of  Carmel,  the  coast  of  Tyre, 
and  the  sparkling  waters  of  the  Mediterranean,  to  the  west; 
a  few  miles  to  the  east,  the  wooded,  cone-like  bulk  of 
Tabor;  and  to  the  south,  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  with  the 
mountains  of  Ephraim  beyond.  The  preaching  of  Jesus 
shows  how  deeply  He  had  drunk  into  the  essence  of  nat- 
ural beauty  and  revelled  in  the  changing  aspects  of  the 
seasons.  It  was  when  wanderino^  as  a  lad  in  these  fields 
that  He  gathered  the  images  of  beauty  which  he  poured 
out  in  His  parables  and  addresses.  It  was  on  that  hill  that 
He  acquired  the  habit  of  His  after-life  of  retreating  to  the 
mountain-tops  to  spend  the  night  in  solitary  prayer.  The 
doctrines  of  His  jSreaching  were  not  thought  out  on  the 
spur  of  the  moment.  They  were  poured  out  in  a  living 
stream  when  the  occasion  came,  but  the  water  had  been 
gathered  into  the  hidden  well  for  many  years  before.  In 
the  fields  and  on  the  mountain-side  he  had  thought  them 
out  during  the  years  of  happy  and  undisturbed  meditation 
and  prayer.  ) 


24  THE    LIFE    OF   JESUS    CHRIST. 

21.  There  is  still  one  important  educational  influence  to 
be  mentioned.  Every  year,  after  He  was  twelve  years  old, 
He  went  with  His  parents  to  the  Passover  at  Jerusalem. 
Fortunately  we  have  preserved  to  us  an  account  of  the  first 
of  these  visits.  It  is  the  only  occasion  on  which  the  veil  is 
lifted  during  thirty  years.  Every  one  who  can  remember 
his  own  first  journey  from  a  village  homer  to  the  capital  of 
his  country  will  understand  the  joy  and  excitement  with 
which  Jesus  set  out.  He  traveled  over  eighty  miles  of  a 
country  where  nearly  every  mile  teemed  with  historical 
and  inspiring  memories.  He  mingled  with  the  constantly 
growing  caravan  of  pilgrims,  who  were  filled  with  the  reli- 
gious enthusiasm  of  the  great  ecclesiastical  event  of  the 
year.  His  destination  was  a  city  which  was  loved  by  every 
Jewish  heart  with  a  strength  of  affection  that  has  never 
been  given  to  any  other  capital  —  a  city  full  of  objects  and 
memories  fitted  to  touch  the  deepest  springs  of  interest 
and  emotion  in  his  breast.  It  was  swarming  at  the  Pass- 
over-time with  strangers  from  half-a-hundred  countries, 
speaking  as  many  languages  and  wearing  as  many  different 
costumes.  He  went  to  take  part  for  the  first  time  in  an 
ancient  solemnity  suggestive  of  countless  patriotic  and 
sacred  memories.  It  was  no  wonder  that,  when  the  day 
came  to  return  home,  He  was  so  excited  with  the  new  ob- 
jects of  interest,  that  He  failed  to  join  His  party  at  the 
appointed  place  and  time.  One  spot  above  all  fascinated 
His  interest.  It  was  the  temple,  and  especially  the  school 
there  in  which  the  masters  of  wisdom  taug-ht.  His  mind 
was  teeming  with  questions  which  these  doctors  might  be 
asked  to  answer.  His  thirst  for  knowledge  had  an  oppor- 
tunity for  the  first  time  to  drink  its  fill.  So  it  was  there  His 
anxious  parents,  who,  missing  Him  after  a  day's  journey 
northward,  returned  in  anxiety  to  seek  Him,  found  Him, 
listening  with  excited  looks  to  the  oracles  of  the  wisdom 


BIRTH,  INFANCY    AND    YOUTH.  25 

of  the  day.  His  answer  to  the  reproachful  question  of  His 
mother  lays  bare  His  childhood's  mind,  and  for  a  moment 
affords  a  wide  glance  over  the  thoughts  which  used  to  en- 
gross Him  in  the  fields  of  Nazareth.  It  shows  that  already, 
though  so  young.  He  had  risen  above  the  great  mass  of 
men,  who  drift  on  through  life  without  once  inquiring  what 
may  be  its  meaning  and  its  end.  He  was  aware  that  He 
had  a  God-appointed  life-work  to  do,  which  it  was  the  one 
business  of  His  existence  to  accomplish.  It  was  the  pas- 
sionate thought  of  all  His  after-life.  It  ought  to  be  the 
first  and  last  thought  of  every  life.  It  recurred  again  and 
again  in  His  later  sayings,  and  pealed  itself  finally  forth  in 
the  word  with  which  He  closed  His  career,  —  It  is  finished! 

22.1  It  has  often  been  asked  whether  Jesus  knew  all 
along  that  He  was  the  Messiah,  and,  if  not,  when  and  how 
the  knowledge  dawned  upon  Him;  whether  it  was  sug- 
gested by  hearing  from  His  mother  the  story  of  His  birth, 
or  announced  to  Him  from  within.  Did  it  dawn  upon  Him 
all  at  once,  or  gradually?  When  did  the  plan  of  His  ca- 
reer, which  He  carried  out  so  unhesitatingly  from  the  be- 
ginning of  His  ministry,  shape  itself  in  His  mind?  Was 
it  the  slow  result  of  years  of  reflection,  or  did  it  come  to 
Him  at  once?  These  questions  have  occupied  the  greatest 
Christian  minds  and  received  very  various  answers.  I  will 
not  venture  to  answer  them,  and  especially  with  His  reply 
to  His  mother  before  me,  I  can  not  trust  myself  even  to 
think  of  a  time  when  He  did  not  know  what  His  work  in 
this  world  was  to  be. 

23.  His  subsequent  visits  to  Jerusalem  must  have  greatly 
influenced  the  development  of  His  mind.  If  He  often  went 
back  to  hear  and  question  the  rabbis  in  the  temple  schools, 
He  must  soon  have  discovered  how  shallow  was  their  far- 
famed  learning.  It  was  probably  on  these  annual  visits 
that  He  discovered  the  utter  corruption  of  tiae  religion  of 

2 


26  THE  LIFE   OP  JESUS  CHRIST. 

the  day  and  the  need  of  a  radical  reform  of  both  doctrine 
and  practice,  and  marked  the  practices  and  the  persons 
that  He  was  by  and  by  to  assail  with  the  vehemence  of  His 
holy  indignation. 

24.  Such  were  the  external  conditions  amidst  which  the 
manhood  of  Jesus  waxed  towards  maturity.  It  would  be 
easy  to  exaggerate  the  influence  which  they  may  be  sup- 
posed to  have  exerted  on  his  development.  The  greater 
and  more  original  a  character  is,  the  less  dependent  is  it 
on  the  peculiarities  of  its  environment.  It  is  fed  from  deep 
well-springs  within  itself,  and  in  its  germ  there  is  a  type 
enclosed  which  expands  in  obedience  to  its  own  laws  and 
bids  defiance  to  circumstances.  In  any  other  circumstan- 
ces, Jesus  would  have  grown  to  be  in  every  important 
respect  the  very  same  person  as  He  became  in  Nazareth. 


CHAPTER    II. 
THE  NATION  AND  TEE   TIME, 

Paragraphs  25-53. 

26-39.  The  Theater  of  His  Life. 

27.  The  Political  Condition  of  the  Country. 
28-38.  Its  Religious  and  Social  Condition— 
28,29.  External  Religiosity    but    Inner  Decline;    30. 
Pharisees;    31.  Scribes;   32.  Sadducees  and 
Herodians;  33.  Different  Classes  of  Society; 
35-38.  Messianic  Hopes. 

40-53.    The  Two  Final  Stages  op  His  Preparation. 

44-49.  His  Baptism — 

45.  The  Baptist;  46-48.  Jesus  Baptized ;   49.  Th* 
Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
50-53.  The  Temptation. 


38 


CHAPTER    II. 


THE    NATION    AND    THE    TIME. 


25.  We  now  approach  the  time  when,  after  thirty  years 
of  silence  and  obscurity  in  Nazareth,  Jesus  was  to  step 
forth  on  the  public  stage.  This  is  therefore  the  place  at 
which  to  take  a  survey  of  the  circumstances  of  the  nation 
in  whose  midst  His  work  was  to  be  done,  and  also  to  form 
a  clear  conception  of  His  character  and  aims.  Every  great 
biography  is  the  record  of  the  entrance  into  the  world  of  a 
new  force,  bringing  with  it  something  different  from  all 
that  was  there  before,  and  of  the  way  in  which  it  gradually 
gets  itself  incorporated  with  the  old,  so  as  to  become  a  part 
of  the  future.  Obviously,  therefore,  two  things  are  needed 
by  those  who  wish  ta  understand  it  —  first,  a  clear  compre- 
hension of  the  nature  of  the  new  force  itself;  and  secondly, 
a  view  of  the  world  with  which  it  is  to  be  incorporated. 
Without  the  latter  the  specific  difference  of  the  former 
can  not  be  understood,  nor  can  the  manner  of  its  reception 
be  appreciated  —  the  welcome  with  which  it  is  received,  or 
the  opposition  with  which  it  has  to  struggle.  Jesus  brought 
with  Him  into  the  world  more  that  was  orio^inal  and  des- 
tined  to  modify  the  future  history  of  mankind  than  any 
one  else  who  has  ever  entered  it.  But  we  can  neither  un- 
derstand Him  nor  the  fortunes  which  He  encountered  in 
seeking  to  incorporate  with  history  the  gift  He  brought, 
without  a  clear  view  of  the  condition  of  the  sphere  within 
which  His  life  was  to  be  passed. 

29 


30  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

26.  The  Theater  of  His  Life.  —  When,  having  finished 
the  last  chapter  of  the  Old  Testament,  we  turn  over  the 
leaf  and  see  the  first  chapter  of  the  New,  we  are  very  apt 
to  think  that  in  Matthew  we  are  still  among  the  same  peo- 
ple and  the  same  state  of  things  as  we  have  left  in  Malachi. 
But  no  idea  could  be  more  erroneous.  Four  centuries 
elapsed  between  Malachi  and  Matthew,  and  wrought  as 
total  a  change  in  Palestine  as  a  period  of  the  same  length 
has  almost  ever  wrought  in  any  country.  The  very  lan- 
guage of  the  people  had  been  changed,  and  customs,  ideas, 
parties,  and  institutions  had  come  into  existence  which 
would  almost  have  prevented  Malachi,  if  he  had  risen  from 
the  dead,  from  recognizing  his  country. 

27.  Politically,  the  nation  had  passed  through  extra- 
ordinary vicissitudes.  After  the  Exile,  it  had  been  or- 
ganized as  a  kind  of  sacred  State  under  its  high  priests; 
but  conqueror  after  conqueror  had  since  marched  over  it, 
changing  everything;  the  old  hereditary  monarchy  had 
been  restored  for  a  time  by  the  brave  Maccabees;  the 
battle  of  freedom  had  many  times  been  won  and  lost;  a 
usurper  had  sat  on  the  throne  of  David;  and  now  at  last 
the  country  was  completely  under  the  mighty  Roman 
power,  which  had  extended  its  sway  over  the  whole  civil- 
ized world.  It  was  divided  into  several  small  portions, 
which  the  foreigner  held  under  different  tenures,  as  the 
English  at  present  hold  India.  Galilee  and  Persea  were 
ruled  by  petty  kings,  sons  of  that  Herod  under  whom  .lesus 
was  born,  who  occupied  a  relation  to  the  Roman  emperor 
similar  to  that  which  the  subject  Indian  kings  hold  to  our 
Queen;  and  Judiea  was  under  the  charge  of  a  Roman  offi- 
cial, a  subordinate  of  the  governor  of  the  Roman  province 
of  Syria,  who  held  a  relation  to  that  functionary  similar  to 
that  which  the  Governor  of  Bombay  holds  to  the  Governor- 
General  at  Calcutta.     Roman  soldiers  paraded  the  streets 


THE    NATION    AND    THE    TIME.  31 

of  Jerusalem;  Roman  standards  waved  over  the  fastnesses 
of  the  country;  Roman  tax-gatherers  sat  at  the  gate  of 
every  town.  To  the  Sanhedrim,  the  supreme  Jewish  organ 
of  government,  only  a  shadow  of  power  was  still  conceded, 
its  presidents,  the  high  priests,  being  mere  puppets  of 
Rome,  set  up  and  put  down  with  the  utmost  caprice.  So 
low  had  the  proud  nation  fallen  whose  ideal  it  had  ever 
been  to  rule  the  world,  and  whose  patriotism  was  a  re- 
ligious and  national  passion  as  intense  and  unquenchable 
as  ever  burned  in  any  country. 

28.  In  religion  the  changes  had  been  equally  great,  and 
the  fall  equally  low.  In  external  appearance,  indeed,  it 
might  have  seemed  as  if  progress  had  been  made  instead 
of  retrogression.  The  nation  was  far  more  orthodox  than 
it  had  been  at  many  earlier  periods  of  its  history.  Once 
its  chief  danger  had  been  idolatry;  but  the  chastisement 
of  the  Exile  had  corrected  that  tendency  for  ever,  and 
thenceforward  the  Jews,  wherever  they  might  be  living, 
were  uncompromising  monotheists.  The  priestly  orders 
and  offices  had  been  thoroughly  reorganized  after  the  return 
from  Babylon,  and  the  temple  services  and  annual  feasts 
continued  to  be  observed  at  Jerusalem  with  strict  regular- 
ity.  Besides,  a  new  and  most  important  religious  institu- 
tion had  arisen,  which  almost  threw  the  temple  with  its 
priesthood  into  the  background.  This  was  the  synagogue 
with  its  rabbis.  It  does  not  seem  to  have  existed  in  ancient 
times  at  all,  but  was  called  into  existence  after  the  Exile 
by  reverence  for  the  written  Word.  Synagogues  were 
multiplied  wherever  Jews  lived;  every  Sabbath  they  were 
filled  with  praying  congregations;  exhortations  were  deliv- 
ered by  the  rabbis  —  a  new  order  created  by  the  need  of 
expounders  to  translate  from  the  Hebrew,  which  had  become 
a  dead  language;  and  nearly  the  whole  Old  Testament  was 
read  over  once  a  year  in  the  hearing  of  the  people.     Schools 


32  THE   LIFE    OF   JESUS   CHRIST. 

of  theology,  similar  to  our  divinity  halls,  had  sprung  up,  in 
which  the  rabbis  were  trained  and  the  sacred  books  inter- 
preted. 

29.  But,  in  spite  of  all  this  religiosity,  religion  had 
sadly  declined.  The  externals  had  been  multiplied,  but  the 
inner  spirit  had  disappeared.  However  rude  and  sinful 
the  old  nation  had  sometimes  been,  it  was  capable  in  its 
worst  periods  of  producing  majestic  religious  figures,  who 
kept  high  the  ideal  of  life  and  preserved  the  connection  of 
the  nation  with  Heaven;  and  the  inspired  voices  of  the 
prophets  kept  the  stream  of  truth  running  fresh  and  clean. 
But  during  four  hundred  years  no  prophet's  voice  had  been 
heard.  The  records  of  the  old  prophetic  utterances  were 
still  preserved  with  almost  idolatrous  reverence,  but  there 
were  not  men  with  even  the  necessary  amount  of  the 
Spirit's  inspiration  to  understand  what  He  had  formerly 
written. 

30.  The  representative  religious  men  of  the  time  were 
the  Pharisees.  As  their  name  indicates,  they  originally 
arose  as  champions  of  the  separateness  of  the  Jews  from 
other  nations.  This  was  a  noble  idea,  so  long  as  the  dis- 
tinction emphasized  was  holiness.  But  it  is  far  more  diffi- 
cult to  maintain  this  distinction  than  such  external  diflfer- 
ences  as  peculiarities  of  dress,  food,  language,  etc.  These 
were  in  course  of  time  substituted  for  it.  The  Pharisees 
were  ardent  patriots,  ever  willing  to  lay  down  their  lives 
for  the  independence  of  their  country,  and  hating  the  for- 
eign yoke  with  impassioned  bitterness.  They  despised  and 
hated  other  races,  and  clung  with  undying  faith  to  the  hope 
of  a  glorious  future  for  their  nation.  But  they  had  so  long 
harped  on  this  idea,  that  they  had  come  to  believe  them- 
selves the  special  favorites  of  Heaven,  simply  because  they 
were  descendants  of  Abraham,  and  to  lose  sight  of  the 
importance  of  personal  character.     They  multiplied  their 


THE    NATION    AND    THE    TIME.  33 

• 

Jtiwish  peculiarities,  but  substituted  external  observances, 
such  as  fasts,  prayers,  tithes,  washings,  sacrifices,  and  so 
forth,  for  the  grand  distinctions  of  love  to  God  and  love  to 
man. 

31.  To  the  Pharisaic  party  belonged  most  of  the  scribes. 
They  were  so  called  because  they  were  both  the  interpret- 
ers and  copyists  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  lawyers  of  the 
people;  for,  the  Jewish  legal  code  being  incorporated  in 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  jurisprudence  became  a  branch  of 
theology.  They  were  the  chief  interpreters  in  the  syna- 
gogues, although  any  male  worshipper  was  permitted  to 
speak  if  he  chose.  They  professed  unbounded  reverence 
for  the  Scriptures,  counting  every  word  and  letter  in  them. 
They  had  a  splendid  opportunity  of  diffusing  the  religious 
principles  of  the  Old  Testament  among  the  people,  exhib- 
iting the  glorious  examples  of  its  heroes  and  sowing  abroad 
the  words  of  the  prophets;  for  the  synagogue  was  one  of 
the  most  potent  engines  of  instruction  ever  devised  by  any 
people.  But  they  entirely  missed  their  opportunity.  They 
became  a  dry  ecclesiastical  and  scholastic  class,  using  their 
position  for  selfish  aggrandisement,  and  scorning  those  to 
whom  they  gave  stones  for  bread  as  a  vulgar  and  unlettered 
canaille.  Whatever  was  most  spiritual,  living,  human,  and 
grand  in  the  Scriptures  they  passed  by.  Generation  after 
generation  the  commentaries  of  their  famous  men  multi- 
plied, and  the  pupils  studied  the  commentaries  instead  of 
the  text.  Moreover,  it  was  a  rule  with  them  that  the  cor- 
rect interpretation  of  a  passage  was  as  authoritative  as  the 
text  itself;  and,  the  interpretations  of  the  famous  masters 
being  as  a  matter  of  course  believed  to  be  correct,  the 
mass  of  opinions  which  were  held  to  be  as  precious  as  the 
Bible  itself  grew  to  enormous  proportions.  These  were 
"the  traditions  of  the  elders."  By  degrees  an  arbitrary 
system  of  exegesis  came  into  vogue,  by  which  almost  any 
C 


34  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

« 

opinion  whatever  could  be  thus  connected  with  some  text 
and  stamped  with  divine  authority.  Every  new  invention 
of  Pharisaic  peculiarities  was  sanctioned  in  this  wa3^ 
These  were  multiplied  until  they  regulated  every  detail  of 
life,  personal,  domestic,  social,  and  public.  They  became 
so  numerous,  that  it  required  a  lifetime  to  learn  them  all; 
and  the  learning  of  a  scribe  consisted  in  acquaintance  with 
them,  and  with  the  dicta  of  the  great  rabbis  and  the  forms 
of  exeo-esis  by  which  they  were  sanctioned.  This  was  the 
chaff  with  which  they  fed  the  people  in  the  synagogues. 
The  conscience  was  burdened  with  innumerable  details, 
everv  one  of  which  was  represented  to  be  as  divinely  sanc- 
tioned as  any  of  the  ten  commandments.  This  was  the 
intolerable  burden  which  Peter  said  neither  he  nor  his 
fathers  had  been  able  to  bear.  This  was  the  horrible  night- 
mare which  sat  so  long  on  Paul's  conscience.  But  worse 
consequences  flowed  from  it.  It  is  a  well-known  principle 
in  history,  that,  whenever  the  ceremonial  is  elevated  to  the 
same  rank  with  the  moral,  the  latter  will  soon  be  lost  sight 
of.  The  scribes  and  Pharisees  had  learned  how  by  arbi- 
trary exegesis  and  casuistical  discussion  to  explain  away 
the  weightiest  moral  obligations,  and  make  up  for  the  neg- 
lect of  them  by  increasing  their  ritual  observances.  Thus 
men  were  able  to  flaunt  in  the  pride  of  sanctity  while  in- 
dulging their  selfishness  and  vile  passions.  Society  was 
rotten  with  vice  within,  and  veneered  over  with  a  self-de- 
ceptive religiosity  without. 

32.  There  was  a  party  of  protest.  The  Sadducees  im- 
pugned the  authority  attached  to  the  traditions  of  the 
fathers,  demanding  a  return  to  the  Bible  and  nothing  but 
the  Bible,  and  cried  out  for  morality  in  place  of  ritual. 
But  their  protest  was  prompted  merely  by  the  spirit  of  de- 
nial, and  not  by  a  warm  opposite  principle  of  religion. 
They  were  sceptical,  cold-hearted,  worldly  men.     Though 


THE    NATION    AND    THE    TIME.  35 

they  praised  morality,  it  was  a  morality  unwarmed  and  un- 
illuminated  by  any  contact  with  that  upper  region  of  divine 
forces  from  which  the  inspiration  of  the  highest  morality 
must  always  come.  They  refused  to  burden  their  conscien- 
ces with  the  painful  punctilios  of  the  Pharisees;  but  it  was 
because  they  wished  to  live  the  life  of  comfort  and  self- 
indulgence.  They  ridiculed  the  Pharisaic  exclusiveness, 
but  had  let  go  what  was  most  peculiar  in  the  character,  the 
faith,  and  the  hopes  of  the  nation.  They  mingled  freely 
with  the  Gentiles,  affected  Greek  culture,  enjoyed  foreign 
amusements,  and  thought  it  useless  to  fight  for  the  freedom 
of  their  country.  An  extreme  section  of  them  were  the 
Herodians,  Tvho  had  given  in  to  the  usurpation  of  Herod, 
and  with  courtly  flattery  attached  themselves  to  the  favor 
of  his  sons. 

33.  The  Sadducees  belonged  chiefly  to  the  upper  and 
wealthy  classes.  'The  Pharisees  and  scribes  formed  what 
we  should  call  the  middle  class,  although  also  deriving 
many  members  from  the  higher  ranks  of  life.  ]  The  lower 
classes  and  the  country  people  were  separated  by  a  great 
gulf  from  their  wealthy  neighbors,  but  attached  themselves 
by  admiration  to  the  Pharisees,  as  the  uneducated  always 
do  to  the  party  of  warmth.  Down  below  all  these  was 
a  large  class  of  those  who  had  lost  all  connection  with 
religion  and  well-ordered  social  life  — the  publicans,  harlots, 
and  sinners,  for  whose  souls  no  man  cared. 

34.  Such  were  the  pitiable  features  of  the  society  on 
which  Jesus  was  about  to  discharge  His  influence — a  na- 
tion enslaved;  the  upper  classes  devoting  themselves  to 
selfishness,  courtiership,  and  scepticism;  the  teachers  and 
chief  professors  of  religion  lost  in  mere  shows  of  ceremo- 
nialism, and  boasting  themselves  the  favorites  of  God, 
while  their  souls  were  honeycombed  with  self-deception 
and  vice;  the  body  of   the  people  misled  by  false  ideals; 


36  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

and  seething  at  the  bottom  of  society,  a  neglected  mass  of 
unblushing  and  unrestrained  sin. 

35.  And  this  was  the  people  of  God!  Yes;  in  spite  of 
their  awful  degradation,  these  were  the  children  of  Abra- 
ham, Isaac  and  Jacob,  and  the  heirs  of  the  covenant  and 
the  promises.  Away  back  beyond  the  centuries  of  degra- 
dation towered  the  figures  of  the  patriarchs,  the  kings  after 
God's  own  heart,  the  psalmists,  the  prophets,  the  genera- 
tions of  faith  and  hope.  Ay,  and  in  front  there  was  great- 
ness too!  The  word  of  God,  once  sent  forth  from  heaven 
and  uttered  by  the  mouths  of  His  prophets,  could  not  re- 
turn to  Him  void.  He  had  said  that  to  this  nation  was  to 
be  given  the  perfect  revelation  of  Himself,  that  in  it  was 
to  appear  the  perfect  ideal  of  manhood,  and  that  from  it 
was  to  issue  forth  the  rea-eneration  of  all  mankind.  There- 
fore  a  wonderful  future  still  belonged  to  it.  The  river  of 
Jewish  history  was  for  the  time  choked  and  lost  in  the 
sands  of  the  desert,  but  it  was  destined  to  reappear  again 
and  flow  forward  on  its  God-appointed  course.  The  time 
of  fulfilment  was  at  hand,  much  as  the  signs  of  the  times 
might  seem  to  forbid  the  hope.  Had  not  all  the  prophets 
from  Moses  onward  spoken  of  a  great  One  to  come,  who, 
appearing  just  when  the  darkness  was  blackest  and  the 
degradation  deepest,  was  to  bring  back  the  lost  glory  of 
the  past? 

36.  So  not  a  few  faithful  souls  asked  themselves  in  the 
weary  and  degraded  time.  There  are  good  men  in  the 
worst  of  periods.  There  were  good  men  even  in  the  selfish 
and  corrupt  Jewish  parties.  But  especially  does  piety 
linger  in  such  epochs  in  the  lowly  homes  of  the  people; 
and,  just  as  we  are  permitted  to  hope  that  in  the  Romish 
Church  at  the  present  time  there  may  be  those  who, 
through  all  the  ceremonies  put  between  the  soul  and  Christ, 


THE    NATION    AND    THE    TIME.  37 

reach  forth  to  Him,  and  by  the  selection  of  a  spiritual  in- 
stinct seize  the  truth  and  pass  the  falsehood  by,  so  among 
the  common  people  of  Palestine  there  were  those  who, 
hearing  the  Scriptures  read  in  the  synagogues  and  reading 
them  in  their  homes,  instinctively  neglected  the  cumbrous 
and  endless  comments  of  their  teachers,  and  saw  the  glory 
of  the  past,  of  holiness  and  of  God,  which  the  scribes 
failed  to  see. 

37.  It  was  especially  to  the  promises  of  a  Deliverer  that 
such  spirits  attached  their  interest.  Feeling  bitterly  the 
shame  of  national  slavery,  the  hollowness  of  the  times,  and 
the  awful  wickedness  which  rotted  under  the  surface  of 
society,  they  longed  and  prayed  for  the  advent  of  the 
coming  One  and  the  restoration  of  the  national  character 
and  glory. 

38.  The  scribes  also  busied  themselves  with  this  ele- 
ment in  the  Scriptures;  and  the  cherishing  of  Messianic 
hopes  was  one  of  the  chief  distinctions  of  the  Pharisees. 
But  they  had  caricatured  the  prophetic  utterances  on  the 
subject  by  their  arbitrary  interpretations,  and  painted  the 
future  in  colors  borrowed  from  their  own  carnal  imagina- 
tions. They  spoke  of  the  advent  as  the  coming  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  of  the  Messiah  as  the  Son  of  God. 
But  what  they  chiefly  expected  Him  to  do  was,  by  the 
working  of  marvels  and  by  irresistible  force,  to  free  the 
nation  from  servitude  and  raise  it  to  the  utmost  worldly 
grandeur.  They  entertained  no  doubt  that,  simply  because 
they  were  members  of  the  chosen  nation,  they  would  be 
allotted  high  places  in  the  kingdom,  and  never  suspected 
that  any  change  was  needed  in  themselves  to  meet  Him. 
The  spiritual  elements  of  the  better  time,  holiness  and 
love,  were  lost  in  their  minds  behind  the  dazzling  forms  of 
material  glory.* 

*  I  have  not  thought  it  necessary  to  describe  the  state  of  the  world  beyond  Pal- 
estine; for  although  the  gifts  Jesus  brouglit  were  for  all  mankind,  yet  His  own 


38  THE   LIFE   OF   JESUS   CHRIST. 

39.  Such  was  the  aspect  of  Jewish  history  at  the  time 
when  the  hour  of  realizing  the  national  destiny  was  about 
to  strike.  It  imparted  to  the  work  which  lay  before  the 
Messiah  a  peculiar  complexity.  It  might  have  been  ex- 
pected that  He  would  find  a  nation  saturated  with  the  ideas 
and  inspired  with  the  visions  of  His  predecessors,  the  pro- 
phets, at  Avhose  head  He  might  place  Himself,  and  from 
which  He  mio-ht  receive  an  enthusiastic  and  effective  co- 
operation.  But  it  was  not  so.  He  appeared  at  a  time 
when  the  nation  had  lapsed  from  its  ideals  and  caricatured 
their  sublimest  features.  Instead  of  meeting  a  nation  ma- 
ture in  holiness  and  consecrated  to  the  heaven-ordained 
task  of  blessing  all  other  peoples,  which  he  might  easily 
lead  up  to  its  own  final  development,  and  then  lead  forth 
to  the  spiritual  conquest  of  the  world.  He  found  that  the 
first  work  which  lay  before  Him  was  to  proclaim  a  re- 
formation in  His  own  country,  and  encounter  the  opjjosi- 
tion  of  prejudices  that  had  accumulated  there  through 
centuries  of  degradation. 

40.  The  Final  Stages  of  His  Preparation.  —  Meanwhile 
He,  whom  so  many  in  their  own  ways  were  hoping  for,  was 
in  the  midst  of  them,  though  they  suspected  it  not.  Little 
could  they  think  that  He  about  whom  they  were  specula- 
ting and  praying  was  growing  up  in  a   carpenter's  home 

activity  was  confined  almost  entirely  to  the  house  of  Israel  within  its  original 
home.  In  a  history  of  Early  Christianity,  or  even  a  life  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  it 
would  be  necessary  to  extend  our  view  over  the  whole  disc  of  civilization  which 
surrounded  the  Mediterranean,  and  in  which  the  world's  center,  which  has  since 
shifted  to  other  latitudes,  was  then  to  be  found;  and  to  show  how  marvellously,  by 
the  dispersion  of  the  Jews  through  all  civilized  countries,  the  elementary  concep- 
tions of  God  which  were  necessary  for  the  reception  of  Christianity  had  been  dif- 
fused beforehand  far  and  wide;  how  the  conquests  of  Alexander  had.  ()y  making 
the  Greek  language  universally  understood,  prepared  a  vehicle  by  which  the  gospel 
might  be  carried  to  all  nations:  how  a  pathway  for  it  had  been  provided  by  the 
Roman  power,  whose  m  11  itarj^  system  had  made  all  lands  accessible;  and,  above 
all,  how  the  decay  of  the  ancient  religions  and  philosophies,  the  M'earing  out  every- 
where of  the  old  Ideals  of  life,  and  the  prevalence  of  heart-sickening  sin,  had  made 
the  world  ready  for  Him  who  was  the  Desire  of  all  nations. 


THE    NATION    AND    THE    TIME.  39 

away  in  despised  Nazareth.  Yet  so  it  was.  There  He  was 
preparing  Himself  for  His  career.  His  mind  was  busy- 
grasping  the  vast  proportions  of  the  task  before  Him,  as 
the  prophesies  of  the  past  and  the  facts  of  the  case  deter- 
mined it;  His  eyes  were  looking  forth  on  the  country,  and 
His  heart  smartinsr  with  the  sense  of  its  sin  and  shame.  In 
Himself  He  felt  moving  the  gigantic  powers  necessary  to 
cope  with  the  vast  design;  and  the  desire  was  gradually 
growing  to  an  irresistible  passion,  to  go  forth  and  utter  the 
thought  within  Him,  and  do  the  work  which  had  been  given 
Him  to  do. 

41.  Jesus  had  only  three  years  to  accomplish  His  life- 
work.  If  we  remember  how  quickly  three  years  in  an 
ordinary  life  pass  away,  and  how  little  at  their  close  there 
usually  is  to  show  for  them,  we  shall  see  what  must  have 
been  the  size  and  quality  of  that  character,  and  what  the 
unity  and  intensity  of  design  in  that  life,  which  in  so  mar- 
vellously short  a  time  made  such  a  deep  and  ineffaceable 
impression  on  the  world,  and  left  to  mankind  such  a  heri- 
tag-e  of  truth  and  influence. 

42.  It  is  generally  allowed  that  Jesus  appeared  as  a 
public  man  with  a  mind  whose  ideas  were  completely  de- 
veloped and  arranged,  with  a  character  sharpened  over  its 
whole  surface  into  perfect  definiteness,  and  with  designs 
that  marched  forward  to  their  ends  without  hesitation. 
No  deflection  took  place  during  the  three  years  from  the 
lines  on  which  at  the  beginning  of  them  He  was  moving. 
The  reason  of  this  must  have  been,  that  during  the  thirtr 
years  before  His  public  work  began.  His  ideas,  His  char- 
acter and  designs  went  through  all  the  stages  of  a  thorough 
development.  Unpretentious  as  the  external  aspects  of 
His  life  at  Nazareth  were,  it  was,  below  the  surface,  a  life 
of  intensity,  variety  and  grandeur.  Beneath  its  silence 
and  obscurity  there  went  on   all   the   processes  of  growth 


40  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

which  issued  in  the  magnificent  flower  and  fruit  to  which 
all  ages  now  look  back  with  wonder.  His  preparation 
lasted  long.  For  one  with  His  powers  at  command,  thirty 
years  of  complete  reticence  and  reserve  were  a  long  time. 
Nothing  was  greater  in  Him  afterwards  than  the  majestic 
reserve  in  both  speech  and  action  which  characterized 
Him.  This,  too,  was  learned  in  Nazareth.  There  He 
waited  till  the  hour  of  the  completion  of  His  preparation 
struck.  Nothing  could  tempt  Him  forth  before  the  time — 
not  the  burning  desire  to  interfere  with  indignant  protest 
amidst  the  crying  corruptions  and  mistakes  of  the  age,  not 
even  the  swellings  of  the  passion  to  do  His  fellow-men 
good. 

43.  At  last,  however,  He  threw  down  the  carpenter's 
tools,  laid  aside  the  workman's  dress,  and  bade  His  home 
and  the  beloved  valley  of  Nazareth  farewell.  Still,  how- 
ever, all  was  not  ready.  His  manhood,  though  it  had  waxed 
in  secret  to  such  noble  proportions,  still  required  a  peculiar 
endowment  for  the  work  He  had  to  do;  and  His  ideas  and 
designs,  mature  as  they  were,  required  to  be  hardened  in 
the  fire  of  a  momentous  trial.  The  two  final  incidents  of 
His  preparation  —  the  Baptism  and  the  Temptation  —  had 
still  to  take  place. 

44.  Jesus  did  not  descend  on  the  nation  from  the  obscu- 
rity of  Nazareth  without  note  of  warning.  His  work  may 
be  said  to  have  been  begun  before  He  Himself  put  His 
hand  to  it. 

45.  Once  more,  before  hearing  the  voice  of  its  Messiah, 
the  nation  was  to  hear  the  long-silent  voice  of  prophecy. 
The  news  went  through  all  the  country  that  in  the  desert 
of  Jud^a  a  preacher  had  appeared,  —  not  like  the  numbers 
of  dead  men's  ideas  who  spoke  in  the  synagogues,  or  the 
courtier-like,  smooth-tongued  teachers  of  Jerusalem    but  a 


THE    NATION    AND    THE    TIME.  41 

rude,  strong  man,  speaking  from   the   heart  to  the   heart,' 
with  the  authority  of  one  who  was  sure  of  his  inspiration. 
He  had  been  a  Nazarite  from  the  womb;  he  had  lived  for 
years  in  the    desert,  wandering,    in  communion   with   his 
own  heart,  beside  the  lonely  shores  of  the    Dead  Sea;  he 
was   clad   in   the    hair  cloak  and  leather  girdle  of  the  old 
prophets;  and  his  ascetic  rigor  sought  no  finer  fare  than 
locusts  and  the  wild  honey  which  he  found  in  the  wilder- 
ness.    Yet  he  knew  life  well;  he  was  acquainted  with  all 
the  evils  of  the  time,  the  hypocrisy  of  the  religious  parties, 
and    the    corruption   of  the    masses:  he    had   a   wonderful 
power  of  searching  the  heart  and  shaking  the  conscience, 
and  without  fear  laid  bare  the  darling  sins  of  every  class. 
But  that  which  most  of  all  attracted  attention  to  him  and 
thrilled  every  Jewish  heart  from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the 
other,  was  the  message  which  he  bore.     It  was  nothing  less 
than  that  the  Messiah  was  just  at  hand,  and  about  to  set  up 
the  kingdom  of  God.     All  Jerusalem  poured  out  to  him ;  the 
Pharisees  were  eager  to  hear  the  Messianic  news;  and  even 
the  Sadducees  were  stirred  for  a  moment  from  their  leth- 
argy.    The    provinces    sent    forth    their   thousands   to   his 
preaching,  and  the  scattered  and  hidden  ones  who  longed 
and  prayed  for  the  redemption  of  Israel  flocked  to  welcome 
the   heart-stirring  promise.     But   along   with  it  John   had 
another  message,  which  excited  very  diff'erent  feelings  in 
different  minds.      He  had  to  tell  his  hearers  that  the  nation 
as  a  whole  was  utterly  unprepared  for  the  Messiah;  that 
the  mere  fact  of  their  descent  from  Abraham  would  not  be 
a  sufficient  token  of  admission  to  His  kingdom;   it  was  to 
be  a  kingdom  of  righteousness  and  holiness,  and  Christ's 
very  first  work  would  be  to  reject  all  who  were  not  marked 
with  these  qualities,  as  the  farmer  winnows  away  the  clialF 
with  his  fan,  and  the  master  of  the  vineyard  hews  down 
every  tree  that  brings  forth  no  fruit.     Therefore  he  called 

2* 


42  THE   LIFE   OF   JESUS   CHRIST. 

►  the  nation  at  large  —  every  class  and  every  individual  —  to 
repentance,  so  long  as  there  still  was  time,  as  an  indispen- 
sable preparation  for  enjoying  the  blessings  of  the  new 
epoch;  and,  as  an  outward  symbol  of  this  inward  change, 
he  baptized  in  the  Jordan  all  who  received  his  message  with 
faith.  Many  were  stirred  with  fear  and  hope  and  submit- 
ted to  the  rite,  but  many  more  were  irritated  by  the  expo- 
sure of  their  sins  and  turned  away  in  anger  and  unbelief. 
Among  these  were  the  Pharisees,  upon  whom  he  was  spec- 
ially severe,  and  who  were  deeply  offended  because  he  had 
treated  so  li2:htlv  their  descent  from  Abraham,  on  which 
they  laid  so  much  stress. 

46.  One  day  there  appeared  among  the  Baptist's  hearers 
One  who  particularly  attracted  his  attention,  and  made  his 
voice,  which  had  never  faltered  when  accusing  in  the  most 
vigorous  language  of  reproof  even  the  highest  teachers 
and  priests  of  the  nation,  tremble  with  self-distrust.  And 
when  He  presented  Himself,  after  the  discourse  was  done, 
among  the  candidates  for  baptism,  John  drew  back,  feeling 
that  This  was  no  subject  for  the  bath  of  repentance,  which 
without  hesitation  he  had  administered  to  all  others,  and 
that  he  himself  had  no  right  to  baptize  Him.  There  were 
in  His  face  a  majesty,  a  purity,  and  a  peace  which  smote 
the  man  of  rock  with  the  sense  of  un worthiness  and  sin. 
It  was  Jesus,  who  had  come  straight  hither  from  the  work- 
shop of  Nazareth.  John  and  Jesus  appear  never  to  have 
met  before,  though  their  families  were  related  and  the  con- 
nection of  their  careers  had  been  predicted  before  their 
birth.  This  may  have  been  due  to  the  distance  of  their 
homes  in  Galilee  and  Judsea,  and  still  more  to  the  Baptist's 
peculiar  habits.  But  when,  in  obedience  to  the  injunction 
of  Jesus,  John  proceeded  to  administer  the  rite,  he  learned 
the  meaning  of  the  overpowering  impression  which  the 
Stranger   had  made   on   him;   for   the   sign   was  given   by 


THE    NATION   AND   THE   TIME.  43 

which,  as  God  had  instructed  him,  he  was  to  recognize  the 
Messiah,  whose  forerunner  he  was.  The  Holy  Ghost  de- 
scended on  Jesus,  as  He  emerged  from  the  water  in  the 
attitude  of  prayer,  and  the  voice  of  God  pronounced  Him 
in  thunder  His  beloved  Son. 

47.  The  impression  made  on  John  by  the  very  look  of 
Jesus  reveals  far  better  than  many  words  could  do  His 
aspect  when  He  was  about  to  begin  His  work,  and  the 
qualities  of  the  character  which  in  Nazareth  had  been 
slowly  ripening  to  full  maturity. 

48.  The  baptism  itself  had  an  important  significance  for 
Jesus.  To  the  other  candidates  who  underwent  the  rite  it 
had  a  double  meaning;  it  signified  the  abandonment  of 
their  old  sins,  and  their  entrance  into  the  new  Messianic 
era.  To  Jesus  it  could  not  have  the  former  meaning,  ex- 
cept in  so  far  as  He  may  have  identified  Himself  with  His 
nation,  and  taken  this  way  of  expressing  His  sense  of  its 
need  of  cleansino^.  But  it  meant  that  He  too  was  now 
entering  through  this  door  into  the  new  epoch,  of  which 
He  was  Himself  to  be  the  Author.  It  expressed  His  sense 
that  the  time  had  come  to  leave  behind  the  employments 
of  Nazareth  and  devote  himself  to  His  peculiar  work. 

49.  But  still  more  important  was  the  descent  upon  Him 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  was  neither  a  meaningless  dis- 
play nor  merely  a  signal  to  the  Baptist.  It  was  the  s\nnbol 
of  a  special  gift  then  given  to  qualify  Him  for  His  work, 
and  crown  the  long  development  of  His  peculiar  powers. 
It  is  a  forgotten  truth  that  the  manhood  of  Jesus  was  from 
first  to  last  dependent  on  the  Holy  Ghost.  We  are  apt  to 
imagine  that  its  connection  with  His  divine  nature  rendered 
this  unnecessary.  On  the  contrary,  it  made  it  far  more 
necessary,  for  in  order  to  be  the  organ  of  His  divine  nature. 
His  human  nature  had  both  to  be  endowed  with  the  highest 
gifts  and  constantly  sustained  in  their  exercise.     We  are 


44  THE    LIFE    OF   JESUS    CHRIST. 

in  the  habit  of  attributing  the  wisdom  and  grace  of  His 
words,  His  supernatural  knowledge  of  even  the  thoughts 
of  men,  and  the  miracles  He  performed,  to  His  divine 
nature.  But  in  the  Gospels  they  are  constantly  attributed 
to  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  does  not  mean  that  they  were 
independent  of  His  divine  nature,  but  that  in  them  His 
human  nature  was  enabled  to  be  the  organ  of  His  divine 
nature  by  a  peculiar  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  gift  was 
given  Him  at  His  baptism.  It  was  analogous  to  the  pos- 
session of  prophets,  like  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah,  with  the 
Spirit  of  inspiration  on  those  occasions,  of  which  they  have 
left  accounts,  when  they  were  called  to  begin  their  public 
life,  and  to  the  special  outpouring  of  the  same  influence 
still  sometimes  given  at  their  ordination  to  those  who  are 
about  to  begin  the  work  of  the  ministry.  But  to  Him  it 
was  given  without  measure,  while  to  others  it  has  always 
been  given  only  in  measure  ;  and  it  comprised  especially 
the  gift  of  miraculous  powers. 

50.  An  immediate  effect  of  this  new  endowment  appears 
to  have  been  one  often  experienced,  in  less  degree,  by 
others  who,  in  their  small  measure,  have  received  this  same 
gift  of  the  Spirit  for  work.  His  whole  being  was  excited 
about  His  work,  His  desires  to  be  eng:aored  in  it  were  raised 
to  the  highest  pitch,  and  His  thoughts  were  intensely  occu- 
pied about  the  means  of  its  accomplishment.  Although 
His  preparation  for  it  had  been  going  on  for  many  years, 
although  His  whole  heart  had  long  been  fixed  on  it,  and 
His  plan  had  been  clearly  settled,  it  was  natural  that,  when 
the  divine  signal  had  been  given  that  it  was  forthwith  to 
commence,  and  He  felt  Himself  suddenly  put  in  possession 
of  the  supernatural  powers  necessary  for  carrying  it  out. 
His  mind  should  be  in  a  tumult  of  crowding  thoughts  and 
feelings,  and  He  should  seek  a  place  of  solitude  to  revolve 


THE    NATION    AND    THE    TIME.  45 

t 

once  more  the  whole  situation.  Accordingly,  He  hastily 
retreated  from  the  bank  of  the  Jordan,  driven,  we  are  told, 
by  the  Spirit,  which  had  just  been  given  Him,  into  the  wil- 
derness, where,  for  forty  days.  He  wandered  among  the 
sandy  dunes  and  wild  mountains.  His  mind  being  so  highly 
strung  with  the  emotions  and  ideas  which  crowded  on  Him, 
that  He  forgot  even  to  eat. 

51.  But  it  is  with  surprise  and  awe  we  learn  that  His 
soul  was,  during  those  days,  the  scene  of  a  frightful  strug- 
gle. He  was  tempted  of  Satan,  we  are  told.  What  could 
He  be  tempted  with  at  a  time  so  sacred?  To  understand 
this  we  must  recall  what  has  been  said  of  the  state  of  the 
Jewish  nation,  and  especially  the  nature  of  the  Messianic 
hopes  which  they  were  indulging.  They  expected  a  Mes- 
siah who  would  work  dazzling  wonders  and  establish  a 
world-wide  empire  with  Jerusalem  as  its  center,  and  they 
had  postponed  the  ideas  of  righteousness  and  holiness  to 
these.  They  completely  inverted  the  divine  conception  of 
the  kingdom,  which  could  not  but  give  the  spiritual  and 
moral  elements  precedence  of  material  and  political  con- 
siderations. Now  what  Jesus  was  tempted  to  do  was,  in 
carrying  out  the  great  work  which  His  Father  had  com- 
mitted to  Him,  to  yield  in  some  measure  to  these  expecta- 
tions. He  must  have  foreseen  that,  unless  He  did  so,  the 
nation  would  be  disappointed  and  probably  turn  away  from 
Him  in  unbelief  and  anger.  The  different  temptations 
were  only  various  modifications  of  this  on^  thought.  The 
suggestion  that  He  should  turn  stones  into  bread  to  satisfy 
His  hunger  was  a  temptation  to  use  the  power  of  working 
miracles,  with  which  He  had  just  been  endowed,  for  a  pur- 
pose inferior  to  those  for  which  alone  it  had  been  given, 
and  was  the  precurser  of  such  temptations  in  His  after-life 
as  the  demand  of  the  multitude  to  show  them  a  sign,  or 
that  He  should  come  down  from  the  cross,  that  they  might 


46  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

believe  Him.  The  suggestion  that  He  should  leap  from 
the  pinnacle  of  the  temple  was  probably  also  a  temptation 
to  gratify  the  vulgar  desire  for  wonders,  because  it  was  a 
part  of  the  popular  belief  that  the  Messiah  should  appear 
suddenly,  and  in  some  marvellous  way;  as,  for  instance,  by 
a  leap  from  the  temple  roof  into  the  midst  of  the  crowds 
assembled  below.  The  third  and  greatest  temptation,  to 
win  the  empire  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  by  an  act 
of  worship  to  the  Evil  One,  was  manifestly  only  a  symbol 
of  obedience  to  the  universal  Jewish  conception  of  the 
comina:  kingdom  as  a  vast  structure  of  material  force.  It 
was  a  temptation  which  every  worker  for  God,  weary  with 
the  slow  progress  of  goodness,  must  often  feel,  and  to 
which  even  good  and  earnest  men  have  sometimes  given 
way  —  to  begin  at  the  outside  instead  of  within,  to  get 
first  a  great  shell  of  external  conformity  to  religion,  and 
afterwards  fill  it  with  the  reality.  It  was  the  temptation 
to  which  Mahomet  yielded  when  he  used  the  sword  to  sub- 
due those  whom  he  was  afterwards  to  make  religious,  and 
to  which  the  Jesuits  yielded  when  they  baptized  the 
heathen  first  and  evangelized  them  afterwards. 

52.  It  is  with  awe  we  think  of  these  suggestions  pre- 
sentins:  themselves  to  the  holy  soul  of  Jesus.  Could  He 
be  tempted  to  distrust  God,  and  even  to  worship  the  Evil 
One?  No  doubt  the  temptations  were  flung  from  Him,  as 
the  impotent  billows  retire  broken  from  the  breast  of  the 
rock  on  which,  they  have  dashed  themselves.  But  these 
temptations  pressed  in  on  Him,  not  only  at  this  time,  but 
often  before  in  the  valley  of  Nazareth,  and  often  after- 
wards, in  the  heats  and  crises  of  His  life.  We  must  re- 
member that  it  is  no  sin  to  be  tempted,  it  is  only  sin  to 
yield  to  temptation.  And,  indeed,  the  more  absolutely 
pure  a  soul  is,  the  more  painful  will  be  the  point  of  the 
temptation,  as  it  presses  for  admission  into  his  breast. 


THE    NATION    AND    THE    TIME.  47 

53.  Although  the  tempter  only  departed  from  Jesus  for 
a  season,  this  was  a  decisive  struggle;  he  was  thoroughly 
beaten  back,  and  his  power  broken  at  its  heart.  Milton 
has  indicated  this  by  finishing  his  Paradise  Megainecl  at 
this  point.  Jesus  emerged  from  the  wilderness  with  the 
plan  of  His  life,  which,  no  doul^t,  had  been  formed  long 
before,  hardened  in  the  fire  of  trial.  Notliing  is  more  con- 
spicuous in  His  after-life  than  the  resolution  with  which 
He  carried  it  out.  Other  men,  even  those  who  have  ac- 
complished the  greatest  tasks,  have  sometimes  had  no  defi- 
nite plan,  but  only  seen  by  degrees  in  the  evolution  of  cir- 
cumstances the  path  to  pursue;  their  purposes  have  been 
modified  by  events  and  the  advice  of  others.  But  Jesus 
started  with  His  plan  perfected,  and  never  deviated  from 
it  by  a  hair's-breadth.  He  resented  the  interference  of 
His  mother  or  His  chief  disciple  with  it  as  steadfastly  as 
He  bore  it  through  the  fiery  opposition  of  open  enemies. 
And  His  plan  was  to  establish  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the 
hearts  of  individuals,  and  rely  not  on  the  weapons  of  polit- 
ical and  material  strength,  but  only  on  the  power  of  love 
and  the  force  of  truth. 


48  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHFvIST. 


THE  DIVISIONS  OF  HIS  PUBLIC  MINISTRY. 

54.  The  public  ministry  of  Jesus  is  generally  reckoned 
to  have  lasted  three  years.  Each  of  them  had  peculiar 
features  of  its  own.  The  first  may  be  called  the  Year  of 
Obscurity,  both  because  the  records  of  it  which  we  possess 
are  very  scanty,  and  because  He  seems  during  it  to  have 
been  only  slowly  emerging  into  public  notice.  It  was 
spent  for  the  most  part  in  Judsea.  The  second  was  the 
Year  of  Public  Favor,  during  which  the  country  had  be- 
come thoroughly  aware  of  Him,  His  activity  was  incessant, 
and  His  fame  rang  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land.  It  was  almost  wholly  passed  in  Galilee.  The  third 
was  the  Year  of  Opposition,  when  the  public  favor  ebbed 
away,  His  enemies  multiplied  and  assailed  Him  with  more 
and  more  pertinacity,  and  at  last  He  fell  a  victim  to  their 
hatred.  The  first  six  months  of  this  final  year  were  passed 
in  Galilee,  and  the  last  six  in  other  parts  of  the  land. 

55.  Thus  the  life  of  the  Savior  in  its  external  outline 
resembled  that  of  many  a  reformer  and  benefactor  of  man- 
kind. Such  a  life  often  begins  with  a  period  during  which 
tlie  public  is  gradually  made  aware  of  the  new  man  in  its 
midst,  then  passes  into  a  period  when  his  doctrine  or  reform 
is  borne  aloft  on  the  shoulders  of  popularity,  and  ends  with 
a  reaction,  when  the  old  prejudices  and  interests  which 
have  been  assailed  by  him  rally  from  his  attack,  and,  gain- 
ing to  themselves  the  passions  of  the  crowd,  crush  him  in 
their  rao;e. 


CHAPTER   III. 
THE  YEAR  OF  OBSCURITY. 

Paragraphs  56-65. 

57.  The  First  Disciples;  58.  The  First  Miracle;  59 
The  Cleansing  of  the  Temple;  60.  Nicodemus. 

61-65.  Reasons  for  the  meagerness  of  the  Records 
of  this  Year. 


50 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE    YEAR    OF    OBSCURITY. 

56.  The  records  of  this  year  which  we  possess  are  ex- 
tremely meager,  comprising  only  two  or  three  incidents, 
which  may  be  here  enumerated,  especially  as  they  form  a 
kind  of  programme  of  His  future  work. 

57.  When  He  emerged  from  the  wilderness  after  the 
forty  days  of  temptation,  with   His    grasp   of   His   future 
plan  tightened  by  that  awful  struggle  and  with  the  inspira- 
tion of  His  baptism  still  swelling  His  heart.  He  appeared 
once  more  on  the  bank  of  the  Jordan,  and  John  pointed 
Him  out  as  the  great  Successor  to  himself  of  whom  he  had 
often  spoken.     He  especially  introduced  Him  to  some  of 
the  choicest  of  His  own  disciples,  who  immediately  became 
His  followers.     Probably  the  very  first  of  these  to  whom 
He  spoke  was  the  man  who  was  afterwards  to  be  His  favor- 
ite disciple,  and  to  give  to  the  world  the  divinest  portrait 
of  His  character  and  life.   ;  John  the  Evangelist r- for  he  it 
was  — has  left  an  account  of  this  first  meetino-  and  the  in- 
terview  that  followed  it,  which  retains  in  all  its  freshness 
the  impression  which  Christ's  majesty  and  purity  made  on 
his  receptive  mind.     The  other  young  men   who  attached 
themselves  to  Him  at  the  same  time  were  Andrew,  Peter, 
Philip,  and  Nathanael.     They  had  been  prepared. for  their 
new   Master   by   their   intercourse   with   the   Baptist,   and 
although  they  did  not  at  once  give  up  their  employments 
and  follow  Him   in   the  same  way  as  they  did   at   a  later 
period,  they  received  impressions  at  their  very  first  meet- 


51 


52  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

ing  which  decided  their  whole  after-career.  The  Baptist's 
disciples  do  not  seem  to  have  at  once  gone  over  in  a  body 
to  Christ.  But  the  best  of  them  did  so.  Some  mischief- 
makers  endeavored  to  excite  envy  in  his  mind  by  pointing 
out  how  his  influence  was  passing  away  to  Another.  But 
they  little  understood  that  great  man,  whose  chief  great- 
ness was  his  humility.  He  answered  them  that  it  was  his 
joy  to  decrease,  while  Christ  increased,  for  it  was  Christ 
who  as  the  Bridegroom  was  to  lead  home  the  bride,  while 
he  was  only  the  Bridegroom's  friend,  whose  happiness  con- 
sisted in  seeing  the  crown  of  festal  joy  placed  on  the  head 
of  another. 

58.  With  His  newly  attached  followers  Jesus  departed 
from  the  scene  of  John's  ministry,  and  went  north  to  Cana 
in  Galilee,  to  attend  a  marriage  to  which  He  had  been 
invited.  Here  He  made  the  first  display  of  the  miraculous 
powers  with  which  He  had  been  recently  endowed,  by 
turning  water  into  wine.  It  was  a  manifestation  of  His 
glory  intended  specially  for  his  new  discijDles,  who,  we  are 
told,  thenceforward  believed  on  Him,  which  means,  no 
doubt,  that  they  were  fully  convinced  that  He  was  the 
Messiah.  It  was  intended  also  to  strike  the  key-note  of 
His  ministry  as  altogether  different  from  the  Baptist's 
John  was  an  ascetic  hermit,  who  fled  from  the  abodes  of 
men  and  called  his  hearers  out  into  the  wilderness.  But 
Jesus  had  glad  tidings  to  bring  to  men's  hearths;  He  waa 
to  mingle  in  their  common  life,  and  produce  a  happy  revo- 
lution in  their  circumstances,  which  would  be  like  the  turn- 
ing of  the  water  of  their  life  into  wine. 

59.  Soon  after  this  miracle  He  returned  again  to  Judrea 
to  attend  the  Passover,  and  gave  a  still  more  striking  proof 
of  the  joyful  and  enthusiastic  mood  in  which  He  was  then 
living,  by  purging  the  temple  of  the  sellers  of  animals  and 
the  money-changers,  who  had  introduced  their  traffic  into 


THE   YEAR   OF   OBSCURITY.  53 

its  courts.  These  persons  were  allowed  to  carry  on  their 
sacrilegious  trade  under  the  pretence  of  accommodating 
strangers  who  came  to  worship  at  Jerusalem,  by  selling 
them  the  victims  which  they  could  not  bring  from  foreign 
countries,  and  supplying,  in  exchange  for  foreign  money, 
the  Jewish  coins  in  which  alone  they  could  pay  their  tem- 
ple dues.  But  what  had  been  begun  under  the  veil  of  a 
pious  pretext  had  ended  in  gross  disturbance  of  the  worship, 
and  in  elbowing  the  Gentile  proselytes  from  the  place 
which  God  had  allowed  them  in  His  house.  Jesus  had 
probably  often  witnessed  the  disgraceful  scene  with  indig- 
nation during  His  visits  to  Jerusalem,  and  now,  with  the 
prophetic  zeal  of  His  baptism  upon  Him,  He  broke  out 
against  it.  The  same  look  of  irresistible  purity  and 
majesty  which  had  appalled  John,  when  He  sought  baptism, 
prevented  any  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  ignoble  crew, 
and  made  the  onlookers  recoo-nize  the  lineaments  of 
the  prophets  of  ancient  days,  before  whom  kings  and 
crowds  alike  were  wont  to  quail.  It  was  the  beginning  of 
His  reformatory  work  against  the  religious  abuses  of  the 
time. 

60.  He  wrought  other  miracles  during  the  feast,  which 
must  have  excited  much  talk  among  the  pilgrims  from 
every  land  who  crowded  the  city.  One  result  of  them  was 
to  brino-  to  His  lodo-ino*  one  nio-ht  the  venerable  and 
anxious  inquirer  to  whom  He  delivered  the  marvellous  dis- 
course on  the  nature  of  the  new  kingdom  He  had  come  to 
found,  and  the  grounds  of  admission  to  it,  which  has  been 
preserved  to  us  in  the  third  chapter  of  John.  It  seemed  a 
hopeful  sign  that  one  of  the  heads  of  the  nation  should 
approach  Him  in  a  spirit  so  humble;  but  Nicodemus  was 
the  only  one  of  them  on  whose  mind  the  first  display  of  the 
Messiah's  power  in  the  capital  produced  a  deep  and  favor- 
able impression. 


54  THE   LIFE    O^   JESUS    CHRIST. 

61.  Thus  far  we  follow  clearly  the  first  steps  of  Jesus. 
But  at  this  point  our  information  in  regard  to  the  first  year 
of  His  ministry,  after  commencing-  with  such  fulness,  comes 
to  a  sudden  stop,  and  for  the  next  eight  months  we  learn 
nothing  more  about  Him  but  that  He  was  baptizing  in 
Judsea  —  "  though  Jesus  Himself  baptized  not,  but  His  dis- 
ciples"—  and  that  He  "made  and  baptized  more  disciples 
than  John." 

62.  What  can  be  the  meaning  of  such  a  blank?  It  is  to 
be  noted,  too,  that  it  is  only  in  the  Fourth  Gospel  that  we 
receive  even  the  details  given  above.  The  Synoptists 
omit  the  first  year  of  the  ministry  altogether,  beginning 
their  narrative  with  the  ministry  in  Galilee,  and  merely 
indicating  in  the  most  cursory  way  that  there  was  a  min- 
istry in  Judaga  before. 

63.  It  is  very  difficult  to  explain  all  this.  The  most 
natural  explanation  would  perhaps  be,  that  the  incidents  of 
this  year  were  imperfectly  known  at  the  time  when  the 
Gospels  were  composed.  It  would  be  quite  natural  that 
the  details  of  the  period  when  Jesus  had  not  attracted 
much  public  attention  should  be  much  less  accurately  re- 
membered than  those  of  the  period  when  He  was  by  far 
the  best  known  personage  in  the  country.  But,  indeed, 
the  Synoptists  all.  through  take  little  notice  of  what  hap^ 
pened  in  Judaea,  till  the  close  of  His  life  draws  nigh.  It  is, 
to  John  we  are  indebted  for  the  connected  narrative  of  Hii 
various  visits  to  the  south. 

64.  But  John,  at  least,  could  scarcely  have  been  igno^ 
rant  of  the  incidents  of  eight  months.  We  shall  perhaps* 
be  conducted  to  the  explanation  by  attending  to  the  little- 
noticed  fact,  which  John  communicates,  that  for  a  time 
Jesus  took  up  the  work  of  the  Baptist.  He  baptized  by 
the  hands  of  His  disciples,  and  drew  even  larger  crowds 
than  John.     Must  not  this  mean  that  He  was  convinced,  by 


THE    YEAR    OF    OBSCURITY.  55 

the  small  impression  which  His  manifestation  of  Himself 
at  the  Passover  had  made,  that  the  nation  was  utterly  un- 
prepared for  receiving  Him  yet  as  the  Messiah,  and  that 
what  was  needed  was  the  extension  of  the  preparatory 
work  of  repentance  and  baptism,  and  accordingly,  keeping 
in  the  background  His  higher  character,  became  for  the 
time  the  colleague  of  John?  This  view  is  confirmed  by  the 
fact,  that  it  was  upon  John's  imprisonment  at  this  year's 
end  that  he  opened  fully  His  Messianic  career  in  Galilee. 
65.  A  still  deeper  explanation  of  the  silence  of  the 
Synoptists  over  this  period,  and  their  scant  notice  of 
Christ's  subsequent  visits  to  Jerusalem,  has  been  suggested. 
Jesus  came  primarily  to  the  Jewish  nation,  whose  authori- 
tative representatives  were  to  be  found  at  Jerusalem.  He 
was  the  Messiah  promised  to  their  fathers,  the  Fulfiller  of 
the  nation's  history.  He  had  indeed  a  far  wider  mission 
to  the  whole  world,  but  He  was  to  begin  with  the  Jews, 
and  at  Jerusalem.  The  nation,  however,  in  its  heads  at 
Jerusalem,  rejected  Him,  and  so  He  was  compelled  to 
found  His  world-wide  community  from  a  different  center. 
This  having  become  evident  by  the  time  the  Gospels 
were  written,  the  Synoptists  passed  His  activity  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  nation,  as  a  work  with  merely  negative 
results,  in  great  measure  by,  and  concentrated  attention  on 
the  period  of  His  ministry  when  He  was  gathering  the 
company  of  believing  souls  that  was  to  form  the  nucleus 
of  the  Christian  Church.  However  this  may  be,  certainly 
at  the  close  of  the  first  year  of  the  ministry  of  Jesus  there 
fell  already  over  Judaea  and  Jerusalem  the  shadow  of  an 
awful  coming  event  —  the  shadow  of  that  most  frightful  of 
all  national  crimes  which  the  world  has  ever  witnessed,  the 
rejection  and  crucifixion  by  the  Jews  of  their  Messiah. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE   YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR. 

Paragraphs  66-73.  Galilee,  the  Scene  of  this  Year's  Work. 
67,  68.  Its  Size  and  Population,  the  Sea  of  Galilee ; 
69.  Return  of  Jesus  from  the  South ;  70.  Visit  to 
Nazareth;  71.  Removal  of  His  Home  to  Caper- 
naum ;  72.  Manner  of  His  Life ;  73.  His  Popu- 
larity. 

74-113.    The  Means  He  employed. 

76-83.  Miracles 

77.  Different  Kinds  of   them;    78-83.   Reasons 
why  He  wrought  them. 

84-104.  PreacMng. 
86-89.  The  form  of  His  Preaching. 
90-95.  The  Qualities  of  the  Preacher  —  91.  Author- 
ity; 92.  Boldness;  93.  Power;  94.  Gracious- 
ness;    95.  Human  Breadth. 
96-102.  The  matter  of  His  Teaching— 97-100.  The 
Kingdom  of  God;    101.  Himself;    102.  Im- 
portant   Themes    which    He  only    slightly 
touched. 
103-104.  His  Audiences. 

105-113.  The  Apostolate. 

105-108.  Call  and  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

109-113.  His    Human    Character  — 109.    Purposeful- 

ness;     110.    Faith;    111.    Originality;    112. 

Love  to  Men;    113.  Love  to  God;    114.  Sin- 

lessuess. 
115.  The  Deity  of  Christ. 


56 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR. 

66.  After  the  year  spent  in  the  south,  Jesus  shifted  the 
sphere  of  His  activity  to  the  north  of  the  country.  In  Gali- 
lee He  would  be  able  to  address  Himself  to  minds  that 
were  unsophisticated  with  the  prejudices  and  supercilious 
pride  of  Judjea,  where  the  sacerdotal  and  learned  classes 
had  their  headquarters;  and  He  might  hope  that,  if  His 
doctrine  and  influence  took  a  deep  hold  of  one  part  of  the 
country,  even  though  it  was  remote  from  the  center  of 
authority.  He  might  return  to  the  south  backed  with  an 
irresistible  national  acknowledgement,  and  carry  by  storm 
even  the  citadel  of  prejudice  itself. 

67.  Galilee,  —  The  area  of  His  activity  for  the  next 
eighteen  months  was  very  limited.  Even  the  whole  of 
Palestine  was  a  very  limited  country.  Its  length  was  a 
hundred  miles  less  than  that  of  Scotland,  and  its  breadth 
considerably  less  than  the  average  breadth  of  Scotland.  It 
is  important  to  remember  this,  because  it  renders  intellio-i- 
ble  the  rapidity  with  which  the  movement  of  Jesus  spread 
over  the  land,  and  all  parts  of  the  country  flocked  to  His 
ministry;  and  it  is  interesting  to  remember  it  as  an  illus- 
tration of  the  fact,  that  the  nations  which  have  contributed 
most  to  the  civilization  of  the  world  have,  durino-  the 
period  of  their  true  greatness,  been  confined  to  very  small 
territories.  Rome  was  but  a  single  city,  and  Greece  a  very 
small  country. 


57 


58  THE    LIFE    OP    JESUS    CHRIST. 

68.  Galilee  was  the  most  northerly  of  the  four  provinces 
into  which  Palestine  was  divided.  It  was  sixty  miles  long 
by  thirty  broad;  that  is  to  say,  it  was  less  than  some  of 
our  Scottish  counties.  It  was  about  the  size  of  Aberdeen- 
shire. It  consisted  for  the  most  part  of  an  elevated 
plateau,  whose  surface  was  varied  by  irregular  mountain 
masses.  Near  its  eastern  boundary  it  suddenly  dropped 
down  into  a  great  gulf,  through  which  flowed  the  Jordan, 
and  in  the  midst  of  which,  at  a  depth  of  five  hundred  feet 
below  the  Mediterranean,  lay  the  lovely,  harp-shaped  Sea 
of  Galilee.  Thewhole  province  was  very  fertile,  and  its  sur- 
face thickly  covered  with  large  villages  and  towns.  The 
population  was  perhaps  as  dense  as  that  of  Lancashire  or 
the  West  Riding  of  Yorkshire.  But  the  center  of  activity 
was  the  basin  of  the  lake,  a  sheet  of  water  thirteen  miles 
long  by  six  broad.  Above  its  eastern  shore,  round  which 
ran  a  fringe  of  green  a  quarter  of  a  mile  broad,  there  tow- 
ered high,  bare  hills,  cloven  with  the  channels  of  torrents. 
On  the  western  side,  the  mountains  were  gently  sloped  and 
their  sides  richly  cultivated,  bearing  splendid  crops  of  every 
description;  while  at  their  feet  the  shore  was  verdant  with 
luxuriant  groves  of  olives,  oranges,  figs,  and  every  product 
of  an  almost  tropical  climate.  At  the  northern  end  of  the 
lake  the  space  between  the  water  and  the  mountains  was 
broadened  by  the  delta  of  the  river,  and  watered  with  many 
streams  from  the  hills,  so  that  it  was  a  perfect  paradise  of 
fertility  and  beauty.  It  was  called  the  plain  of  Gennesa- 
reth,  and  even  at  this  day,  when  the  whole  basin  of  the 
lake  is  little  better  than  a  torrid  solitude,  is  still  covered 
with  magnificent  corn-fields,  wherever  the  hand  of  cultiva- 
tion touches  it;  and,  where  idleness  leaves  it  untended,  is 
overspread  with  thick  jungles  of  thorn  and  oleander.  In 
our  Lord's  time,  it  contained  the  chief  cities  on  the  lake, 
such  as  Capernaum,   Bethsaida,   and  Chorazin.     But  the 


THE  YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  69 

whole  shore  was  studded  with  towns  and  villag-es,  and 
formed  a  perfect  beehive  of  swarming  human  life.  The 
means  of  existence  were  abundant  in  the  crops  and  fruits 
of  every  description  which  the  fields  yielded  so  richly;  and 
the  waters  of  the  lake  teemed  with  fish,  affording  employ- 
ment to  thousands  of  fishermen.  Besides,  the  grreat  hio-h- 
ways  from  Egypt  to  Damascus,  and  from  Phoenicia  to  the 
Euphrates,  passed  here,  and  made  this  a  vast  center  of 
traffic.  Thousands  of  boats  for  fishing,  transport,  and 
pleasure  moved  to  and  fro  on  the  surface  of  the  lake,  so 
that  the  whole  region  was  a  focus  of  energy  and  prosperity. 

69.  The  report  of  the  miracles  which  Jesus  had  wrought 
at  Jerusalem,  eight  months  before,  had  been  brought  home 
to  Galilee  by  the  pilgrims  who  had  been  south  at  the  feast, 
and  doubtless  also  the  news  of  His  preaching  and  baptism 
in  Judaea  had  created  talk  and  excitement  before  He  ar- 
rived. Accordingly,  the  Galileans  were  in  some  measure 
prepared  to  receive  Him  when  He  returned  to  their 
midst. 

70.  One  of  the  first  places  He  visited  was  Nazareth,  the 
home  of  His  childhood  and  youth.  He  appeared  there  one 
Sabbath  in  the  synagogue,  and,  being  now  known  as  a 
preacher,  was  invited  to  read  the  Scriptures  and  address 
the  congregation.  He  read  a  passage  in  Isaiah,  in  which  a 
glowing  description  is  given  of  the  coming  and  work  of 
the  Messiah;  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me, 
becadse  He  has  anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
poor;  He  hath  sent  me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach 
deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the 
blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the 
acceptable  year  of  the  Lord."  As  He  commented  on  this 
text,  picturing  the  features  of  the  Messianic  time, —  the 
emancipation  of  the  slave,  the  enriching  of  the  poor,  the 


60  THE    LIFE    OP   JESUS    CHRIST. 

healing  of  the  diseased,  —  their  curiosity  at  hearing  for  the 
first  time  a  young  preacher  who  had  been  brought  up 
^mong  themselves  passed  into  spell-bound  wonder,  and 
they  burst  into  the  applause  which  used  to  be  allowed  in 
the  Jewish  synagogues.  But  soon  the  reaction  came. 
They  began  to  whisper  :  Was  not  this  the  carpenter  who 
had  worked  among  them?  Had  not  His  father  and  mother 
been  their  neighbors?  Were  not  His  sisters  married  in 
the  town?  Their  envy  was  excited.  And  when  He  pro- 
ceeded to  tell  them  that  the  prophecy  which  He  had  read 
was  fulfilled  in  Himself,  they  broke  out  into  angry  scorn. 
They  demanded  of  Him  a  sign,  such  as  it  was  reported  He 
had  given  in  Jerusalem;  and  when  He  informed  them  that 
He  could  do  no  miracle  among  the  unbelieving,  they 
rushed  on  Him  in  a  storm  of  jealousy  and  wrath,  and  hurry- 
inc  Him  out  of  the  svnao;oo:ue  to  a  eras-  behind  the  town, 
would,  if  He  had  not  miraculously  taken  Himself  away 
from  them,  have  flung  Him  over,  and  crowned  their  pro- 
verbial wickedness  with  a  deed  which  would  have  robbed 
Jerusalem  of  her  bad  eminence  of  being  the  murderess  of 
the  Messiah. 

71.  From  that  day  Nazareth  was  His  home  no  more. 
Once  again,  indeed,  in  His  yearning  love  for  His  old  neigh- 
bors. He  visited  it,  but  with  no  better  result.  Hencefor- 
ward He  made  His  home  in  Capernaum,  on  the  northwest- 
ern shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  This  town  has  completely 
vanished  out  of  existence;  its  very  site  can  not  now  be 
discovered  with  any  certainty.  This  may  be  one  reason 
why  it  is  not  connected  in  the  Christian  mind  with  the 
life  of  Jesus  in  the  same  prominent  way  as  Bethlehem, 
where  He  was  born,  Nazareth,  where  He  was  brought  up, 
and  Jerusalem,  where  He  died.  But  we  ought  to  fix  it  in 
our  memories  side  by  side  with  these,  for  it  was  His  home 
for  eighteen  of  the  most  important  months  X)f  His  life.     It 


THE  YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  61 

is  called  His  .own  city,  and  He  was  asked  for  tribute  in  it 
as  a  citizen  of  the  place.  It  was  thoroughly  well  adapted 
to  be  the  center  of  His  labors  in  Galilee,  for  it  was  the 
focus  of  the  busy  life  in  the  basin  of  the  lake,  and  was 
conveniently  situated  for  excursions  to  all  parts  of  the 
province.  Whatever  happened  there  was  quickly  heard 
of  in  all  the  regions  round  about. 

72.  In  Capernaum,  then.  He  began  His  Galilean  work; 
and  for  many  months  the  method  of  His  life  was,  to  be 
frequently  there  as  in  His  headquarters,  and  from  this  cen- 
ter to  make  tours  in  all  directions,  visiting  the  towns  and 
villages  of  Galilee.  Sometimes  His  journey  would  be  in- 
land, away  to  the  west.  At  other  times  it  would  be  a  tour 
of  the  villages  on  the  lake,  or  a  visit  to  the  country  on  its 
eastern  side.  He  had  a  boat  that  waited  on  Him,  to  con- 
vey Him  wherever  He  might  wish  to  go.  He  would  come 
back  to  Capernaum,  perhaps  only  for  a  day,  perhaps  for  a 
week  or  two  at  a  time. 

73.  In  a  few  weeks  the  whole  province  was  ringing 
with  His  name;  He  was  the  subject  of  conversation  in 
every  boat  on  the  lake  and  every  house  in  the  whole  re- 
gion; men's  minds  were  stirred  with  the  profoundest  ex- 
citement, and  everyone  desired  to  see  Him.  Crowds  be- 
gan to  gather  about  Him.  They  grew  larger  and  larger. 
They  multiplied  to  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands.  They 
followed  Him  wherever  He  went.  The  news  spread  far 
and  wide  beyond  Galilee,  and  brought  hosts  from  Jerusa- 
lem, Judaea,  and  Pernea,  and  even  from  Idumrea  in  the  far 
south,  and  Tyre  and  Sidon  in  the  far  north.  Sometimes 
He  could  not  stay  in  any  town,  because  the  crowds  blocked 
up  the  streets  and  trode  one  on  another.  He  had  to  take 
them  out  to  the*  fields  and  deserts.  The  country  was  stirred 
from  end  to  ejid,  and  Galilee  was  all  on  fire  with  excite- 
ment about  Him. 


62  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

74.  How  was  it  that  He  produced  so  great  and  wide- 
spread a  movement?  It  was  not  by  declaring  Himself  the 
Messiah.  That  would  indeed  have  caused  to  pass  through 
every  Jewish  breast  the  deepest  thrill  which  it  could  ex- 
perience. But  although  Jesus  now  and  then,  as  at  Naza- 
reth, revealed  Himself,  in  general  He  rather  concealed  His 
true  character.  No  doubt  the  reason  of  this  was,  that 
among  the  excitable  crowds  of  rude  Galilee,  with  their 
grossly  materialistic  hopes,  the  declaration  would  have  ex- 
cited a  revolutionary  rising  against  the  Roman  Government, 
which  would  have  withdrawn  men's  minds  from  His  true 
aims  and  brought  down  on  His  head  the  Roman  sword, 
just  as  in  Judaea  it  would  have  precipitated  a  murderous 
attack  on  His  life  by  the  Jewish  authorities.  To  avert 
either  kind  of  interruption.  He  kept  the  full  revelation  of 
Himself  in  reserve,  endeavoring  to  prepare  the  public  mind 
to  receive  it  in  its  true  inward  and  spiritual  meaning,  when 
the  right  moment  for  divulging  it  should  come,  and  in  the 
meantime  leaving  it  to  be  inferred  from  His  character  and 
work  who  He  was. 

75.  The  two  great  means  which  Jesus  used  in  His  work, 
and  which  created  such  attention  and  enthusiasm,  were 
His  Miracles  and  His  Preaching. 

76.  The  Miracle-Worker.  —  Perhaps  His  miracles  ex- 
cited the  widest  attention.  We  are  told  how  the  news  of 
the  first  one  which  He  wrought  in  Capernaum  spread  like 
wildfire  through  the  town,  and  brought  crowds  about  the 
house  where  He  was;  and  whenever  He  performed  a  new 
one  of  extraordinary  character,  the  excitement  grew  in- 
tense and  the  rumor  of  it  spread  on  every  hand.  When, 
for  instance.  He  first  cured  leprosy,  the  most  malignant 
form  of  bodily  disease  in  Palestine,  the  amazement  of  the 
people  knew  no  bounds.     It  was  the  same  when  He  first 


THE  YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  63 

overcame  a  case  of  possession;  and  when  he  raised  to  life 
the  widow's  son  at  Nain,  there  ensued  a  sort  of  stupor  of 
fear,  followed  by  delighted  wonder  and  the  talk  of  thous- 
ands of  tonsrues.  All  Galilee  was  for  a  time  in  motion 
with  the  crowding  of  the  diseased  of  every  description 
who  could  walk  or  totter  to  be  near  Him,  and  with  com- 
panies of  anxious  friends  carrying  on  beds  and  couches 
those  who  could  not  come  themselves.  The  streets  of  the 
villages  and  towns  were  lined  with  the  victims  of  disease 
as  His  benignant  figure  passed  by.  Sometimes  He  had  so 
many  to  attend  to  that  he  could  not  find  time  even  to  eat; 
and  at  one  period  He  was  so  absorbed  in  His  benevolent 
labors,  and  so  carried  along  with  the  holy  excitement  whicli 
they  caused,  that  His  relatives,  with  indecorous  rashness, 
endeavored  to  interfere,  saying  to  each  other  that  He  was 
beside  Himself. 

77.  The  miracles  of  Jesus,  taken  altogether,  were  of 
two  classes  —  those  wrought  on  man,  and  those  wrought  in 
the  sphere  of  external  nature,  such  as  the  turning  of  water 
into  wine,  stilling  the  tempest,  and  multiplying  the  loaves. 
The  former  were  by  far  the  more  numerous.  They  con- 
sisted chiefly  of  cures  of  diseases  less  or  more  malignant, 
such  as  lameness,  blindness,  deafness,  palsy,  leprosy,  and 
so  forth.  He  appears  to  have  varied  very  much  His 
mode  of  acting,  for  reasons  which  we  can  scarcely  explain. 
Sometimes  He  used  means,  such  as  a  touch,  or  the  laying 
of  moistened  clay  on  the  part,  or  ordering  the  patient  to 
wash  in  water.  At  other  times  He  healed  without  any 
means,  and  occasionally  even  at  a  distance.  Besides  these 
bodily  cures,  He  dealt  with  the  diseases  of  the  mind. 
These  seem  to  have  been  peculiarly  prevalent  in  Palestine 
at  the  time,  and  to  have  excited  the  utmost  terror.  They 
were  believed  to  be  accompanied  by  the  entrance  of  de- 
mons into  the  jx)or  imbecile  or  raving  victims,  and  this 


64  THE    LIFE    OF   JESUS    CHRIST. 

idea  was  only  too  true.  The  man  whom  Jesus  cured 
among  the  tombs  in  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes  was  a 
frightful  example  of  this  class  of  disease;  and  the  picture 
of  him  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  clothed  and  in  his  right 
mind,  shows  what  an  effect  His  kind,  soothing,  and  authori- 
tative presence  had  on  minds  so  distracted.  But  the  most 
extraordinary  of  the  miracles  of  Jesus  upon  man  were  the 
instances  in  which  He  raised  the  dead  to  life.  They  were 
not  frequent,  but  naturally  produced  an  overwhelmning 
impression  whenever  they  occurred.  The  miracles  of  the 
other  class  —  those  on  external  nature  —  were  of  the  same 
inexplicable  description.  Some  of  His  cures  of  mental 
disease,  if  standing  by  themselves,  might  be  accounted  for 
by  the  influence  of  a  powerful  nature  on  a  troubled  mind; 
and  in  the  same  way  some  of  His  bodily  cures  might  be 
accounted  for  by  His  influencing  the  body  through  the 
mind.  But  such  a  miracle  as  walking  on  the  tempestuous 
sea  is  utterly  beyond  the  reach  of  natural  explanation. 

78.  Why  did  Jesus  employ  this  means  of  working? 
Several  answers  may  be  given  to  this  question. 

79.  First,  He  wrought  miracles  because  His  Father 
gave  Him  these  signs  as  proofs  that  He  had  sent  Him. 
Many  of  the  Old  Testament  prophets  had  received  the 
same  authentication  of  their  mission,  and  although  John, 
who  revived  the  prophetic  function,  worked  no  miracles,  as 
the  Gospels  inform  us  with  the  most  simple  veracity,  it  was 
to  be  expected  that  He  who  was  a  far  greater  prophet  than 
the  greatest  who  went  before  Him,  should  show  even 
greater  signs  than  any  of  them  of  His  divine  mission.  It 
was  a  stupendous  claim  which  He  made  on  the  faith  of 
men  when  He  announced  Himself  as  the  Messiah,  and  it 
would  have  been  unreasonable  to  expect  it  to  be  conceded 
by  a  nation  accustomed  to  miracles  as  the  signs  of  a  divine 
mission,  if  He  had  wrouo-ht  none. 


THE  YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  65 

80.  Secoii(lly,  tlio  miracles  of  Christ  were  the  natural 
outflow  of  the  divine  fulness  which  dwelt  in  Him.  God 
was  in  Him,  and  His  human  nature  was  endowed  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  without  measure.  It  was  natural,  when  such 
a  Being  was  in  the  world,  that  mighty  works  should  mani- 
fest themselves  in  Him.  He  was  Himself  the  ffreat  mir- 
acle,  of  which  His  particular  miracles  were  merely  sparks 
or  emanations.  He  was  the  great  interruption  of  the  order 
of  nature,  or  rather  a  new  element  which  had  entered 
into  the  order  of  nature  to  enrich  and  ennoble  it,  and  His 
miracles  entered  with  Him,  not  to  disturb,  but  to  repair  its 
harmony.  Therefore  all  His  miracles  bore  the  stamp  of 
His  character.  They  were  not  mere  exhibitions  of  power, 
but  also  of  holiness,  wisdom,  and  love.  The  Jews  often 
sought  from  Him  mere  gigantesque  prodigies,  to  gratify 
their  mania  for  marvels.  But  He  always  refused  them, 
working  only  such  miracles  as  were  helps  to  faith.  He  de- 
manded faith  in  all  those  whom  He  cured,  and  never  re- 
sponded either  to  curiosity  or  unbelieving  challenges  to  ex- 
hibit marvels.  This  distinguishes  His  miracles  from  those 
fabled  of  ancient  wonder-workers  and  mediasval  saints. 
They  were  marked  by  unvarying  sobriety  and  benevolence, 
because  they  w^ere  the  expressions  of  His  character  as  a 
whole. 

81.  Thirdly,  His  miracles  were  symbols  of  His  spiritual 
and  saving  work.  You  have  only  to  consider  them  for  a 
moment  to  see  that  they  \vere,  as  a  whole,  triumphs  over 
the  misery  of  the  world.  Mankind  is  the  prey  of  a  thous- 
and e.vils,  and  even  the  frame  of  external  nature  bears  the 
mark  of  some  past  catastrophe:  "The  whole  creation 
groaneth  and  travaileth  in  pain."  This  huge  mass  of  phy- 
sical evil  in  the  lot  of  mankind  is  the  effect  of  sin.  Not 
that  every  disease  and  misfortune  can  be  traced  to  special 
sin,  although  some  of    them  can.      The   consequences   of 

E  3* 


66  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

past  sin  are  distributed  in  detail  over  tlie  whole  race.  But 
yet  the  misery  of  the  world  is  the  shadow  of  its  sin.  Ma- 
terial and  moral  evil,  being  thus  intimately  related,  mutually 
illustrate  each  other.  "When  He  healed  bodily  blindness, 
it  was  a  type  of  the  healing  of  the  inner  eye;  when  He 
raised  the  dead.  He  meant  to  suggest  that  He  was  the 
Resurrection  and  the  Life  in  the  spiritual  world  as  well; 
when  He  cleansed  the  leper,  His  triumph  spoke  of  another 
over  the  leprosy  of  sin;  when  He  multiplied  the  loaves.  He 
followed  the  miracle  with  a  discourse  on  tlie  bread  of  life; 
when  He  stilled  the  storm,  it  was  an  assurance  that  He 
could  speak  peace  to  the  troubled  conscience. 

82.  Thus  His  miracles  were  a  natural  and  essential  part 
of  His  Messianic  work.  They  were  an  excellent  means  of 
making  Him  known  to  the  nation.  They  bound  those 
whom  He  cured  to  Him  with  strong  ties  of  gratitude;  and 
without  doubt,  in  many  cases,  the  faith  in  Him  as  a  miracle- 
w^orker  led  on  to  a  higher  faith.  So  it  was  in  the  case  of 
His  devoted  follower  Mary  Magdalene,  out  of  whom  He 
cast  seven  devils. 

83.  To  Himself  this  work  must  have  brought  both  great 
pain  and  great  joy.  To  His  tender  and  exquisitely  sym- 
pathetic heart,  that  never  grew  callous  in  the  least  degree, 
it  must  often  have  been  harrowing  to  mingle  with  so  much 
disease,  and  see  the  awful  effects  of  sin.  But  He  was  in 
the  right  place;  it  suited  His  great  love  to  be  where  help 
was  needed.  And  what  a  joy  it  must  have  been  to  Him  to 
distribute  blessings  on  every  hand  and  erase  tlie  traces  of 
sin;  to  see  health  returning  beneath  his  touch;  to  meet  tlie 
joyous  and  grateful  glances  of  the  opening  eyes;  to  hear 
the  blessings  of  mothers  and  sisters,  as  He  restored  their 
loved  ones  to  their  arms;  and  to  see  the  light  of  love  and 
welcome  in  the  faces  of  the  poor,  as  He  entered  their  towns 
and  villages.     He  drank  deeply  of  the  well  at  which  He 


THE  YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  67 

would  have  his  followers  to  be  ever  drinking  —  the  bliss  of 
doing:  ofood. 

'  84.  The  Teacher.  —  The  other  great  instrument  with 
which  .Jesus  did  His  work  was  His  teaching.  It  was  by 
far  the  more  important  of  the  two.  His  miracles  were 
only  the  bell  tolled  to  bring  the  people  to  hear  His  words. 
They  impressed  those  who  might  not  yet  be  susceptible  to 
the  subtler  influence,  and  brought  them  within  its  range. 

85.  The  miracles  probably  made  most  noise,  but  His 
preaching  also  spread  His  fame  far  and  wide.  There  is 
no  power  whose  attraction  is  more  unfailing  than  that 
of  the  eloquent  word.  Barbarians,  listening  to  their  bards 
and  story-tellers;  Greeks,  listening  to  the  restrained  pas- 
sion of  their  orators,  and  matter-of-fact  nations  like  the 
Roman,  have  alike  acknowledged  its  power  to  be  irre- 
sistible. The  Jews  prized  it  above  almost  every  other  at- 
traction, and  among  the  figures  of  their  mighty  dead  re- 
vered none  more  highly  than  the  prophets —  those  eloquent 
utterers  of  the  truth,  whom  Heaven  had  sent  them  from 
age  to  age.  Though  the  Baptist  did  no  miracles,  multi- 
tudes flocked  to  Him,  because  in  his  accents  they  recog- 
nized the  thunder  of  this  power,  which  for  so  many  gene- 
rations no  Jewish  ear  had  listened  to.  Jesus  also  was  re- 
cognized as  a  prophet,  and  accordingly,  His  preaching 
created  wide-spread  excitement.  "  He  spake  in  their  syn- 
agogues, being  glorified  of  all."  His  words  were  heard 
with  wonder  and  amazement.  Sometimes  the  multitude 
on  the  beach  of  the  lake  so  pressed  upon  Him  to  hear,  that 
He  had  to  enter  into  a  ship  and  address  them  from  the 
deck,  as  they  spread  themselves  out  in  a  semicircle  on  the 
ascending  shore.  His  enemies  themselves  bore  witness 
that  "never  man  spake  like  this  man;"  and  meager  as- are 
the  remains  of  His  preaching  which  we   possess,  they  are 


68  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

amply  sufficient  to  make  us  echo  the  sentiment  and  under- 
stand the  impression  which  He  produced.  All  His  words 
together  which  have  been,  preserved  to  us  would  not  oc- 
cupy more  space  in  print  than  half-a-dozen  ordinary  ser- 
mons; yet  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  they  are  the  most 
precious  literary  heritage  of  the  human  race.  His"  words, 
like  His  miracles,  were  expressions  of  Himself,  and  every 
one  of  them  has  in  it  something  of  the  grandeur  of  His 
character. 

86.  The  form  of  the  preaching  of  Jesus  was  essentially 
Jewish.  The  Oriental  mind  does  not  work  in  the  same 
way  as  the  mind  of  the  AVest.  Our  thinking  and  speaking, 
when  at  their  best,  are  fluent,  expansive,  closely  reasoned. 
The  kind  of  discourse  which  we  admire  is  one  which  takes 
up  an  important  subject,  divides  it  out  into  different 
branches,  treats  it  fully  under  each  of  the  heads,  closely 
articulates  part  to  part,  and  closes  with  a  moving  appeal  to 
the  feelings,  so  as  to  sway  the  will  to  some  practical  result. 
The  Oriental  mind,  on  the  contrary,  loves  to  brood  long  on 
a  single  point,  to  turn  it  round  and  round,  to  gather  up  all 
the  truth  about  it  in  a  focus,  and  pour  it  forth  in  a  few 
pointed  and  memorable  words.  It  is  concise,  epigrammatic, 
oracular.  A  Western  speaker's  discourse  is  a  systematic 
structure,  or  like  a  chain  in  which  link  is  firmly  knit  to 
link;  an  Oriental's  is  like  the  sky  at  night,  full  of  innu- 
merable burning  points  shining  forth  from  a  dark  back- 
ground. 

87.  Such  was  the  form  of  the  teaching  of  Jesus.  It 
consisted  of  numerous  sayings,  every  one  of  which  con- 
tained the  greatest  possible  amount  of  truth  in  the 
smallest  possible  compass,  and  was  expressed  in  language 
so  concise  and  pointed  as  to  stick  in  the  memory  like  an 
arrow.  Read  them,  and  you  will  find  that  every  one  of 
them,  as  you  ponder  it,  sucks  the  mind  in  and  in   like  a 


THE  YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  69 

whirlpool,  till  it  is  lost  in  the  depths.  You  will  find, 
too,  that  there  are  very  few  of  them  which  you  do  not 
know  by  heart.  They  have  found  their  way  into  the 
memory  of  Christendom  as  no  other  words  have  done. 
Even  before  the  meaning  has  been  apprehended,  the 
perfect,  proverb-like  expression  lodges  itself  fast  in  the 
mind. 

88.  But  there  was  another  characteristic  of  the  form  of 
Jesus'  teaching.  It  was  full  of  figures  of  speech.  He 
thought  in  images.  He  had  ever  been  a  loving  and  accu- 
rate observer  of  nature  around  Him  —  of  the  colors  of  the 
flowers,  the  ways  of  the  birds,  the  growth  of  the  trees,  the 
vicissitudes  of  the  seasons  —  and  an  equally  keen  observer 
of  the  ways  of  men  in  all  parts  of  life  —  in  religion,  in 
business,  in  the  home.  The  result  was  that  He  could 
neither  think  nor  speak  without  His  thought  running  into 
the  mould  of  some  natural  image.  His  preaching  was 
alive  with  such  references,  and  therefore  full  of  color, 
movement,  and  changing  forms.  There  were  no  abstract 
statements  in  it;  they  were  all  changed  into  pictures. 
Thus,  in  His  sayings,  we  can  still  see  the  aspects  of  the 
country  and  the  life  of  the  time  as  iii  a  panorama  —  the 
lilies,  whose  gorgeous  beauty  His  eyes  feasted  on,  waving 
in  the  fields;  the  sheep  following  the  shepherd;  the  broad 
and  narrow  city  gates;  the  virgins  with  their  lamps  await- 
ing in  the  darkness  the  bridal  procession;  the  Pharisee 
with  his  broad  phylacteries  and  the  publican  with  bent 
head  at  prayer  together  in  the  temple;  the  rich  man  seated 
in  his  palace  at  a  feast,  and  the  beggar  lying  at  his  gate 
with  the  dogs  licking  his  sores;  and  a  hundred  other  pic- 
tures that  lay  bare  the  inner  and  minute  life  of  the  time, 
over  which  history  in  general  sweeps  heedlessly  with  ma- 
jestic stride. 

89.  But    the    most   characteristic    form    of   speech   He 


70  THE   LIFE    OE   JESUS   CHRIST. 

made  use  of  was  the  parable.  It  was  a  combination  of 
the  two  qualities  already  mentioned  —  concise,  memorable 
expression,  and  a  figurative  style.  It  used  an  incident, 
taken  from  common  life  and  rounded  into  a  gem-like  pic- 
ture, to  set  forth  some  corresponding  truth  in  the  higher 
and  spiritual  region.  It  was  a  favorite  Jewish  mode  of 
putting  truth,  but  Jesus  imparted  to  it  by  far  the  richest 
and  most  perfect  development.  About  one-third  of  all 
His  sayings  which  have  been  preserved  to  us  consists  of 
parables.  This  shows  how  they  stuck  in  the  memory.  In 
the  same  way  the  hearers  of  the  sermons  of  any  preacher 
will  probably,  after  a  few  years,  remember  the  illustrations 
they  have  contained  far  better  than  anything  else  in  them. 
How  these  parables  have  remained  in  the  memory  of  all 
generations  since!  The  Prodigal  Son,  the  Sower,  the  Ten 
Virgins,  the  Good  Samaritan, — these  and  many  others  are 
pictures  hung  up  in  millions  of  minds.  What  passages  in 
the  greatest  masters  of  expression  — in  Homer,  in  Virgil, 
in  Dante,  in  Shakspeare — have  secured  for  themselves  so 
universal  a  hold  on  men,  or  been  felt  to  be  so  fadelessly 
fresh  and  true?  He  never  went  far  for  His  illustrations. 
As  a  master  of  painting  will  make  you,  with  a  morsel  of 
chalk  or  a  burnt  stick,  a  face  at  which  you  must  laugh,  or 
weep,  or  wonder,  so  Jesus  took  the  commonest  objects  and 
incidents  around  Him, — the  sewing  of  a  piece  of  cloth  on 
an  old  garment,  the  bursting  of  an  old  bottle,  the  children 
playing  in  the  market-plaae  at  weddings  and  funerals,  or 
the  tumbling  of  a  hut  in  a  storm, — to  change  them  into 
perfect  pictures,  and  to  make  them  the  vehicles  for  convey- 
ing to  the  world  immortal  truth.  No  wonder  the  crowds 
followed  Him!  Even  the  simplest  could  delight  in  such 
pictures  and  carry  away  as  a  life-long  possession  the 
expression  at  least  of  His  ideas,  though  it  might  require 
the  thought  of  centuries  to  pierce  their  crystalline  depths. 


THE    YEAR    OF    TUBLIC    P.VVOU.  71 

There  never  was  speaking  so  simple  yet  so  profound,  so 
pictorial  yet  so  absolutely  true. 

90.  Such  were  the  qualities  of  His  style.  The  qualities 
of  the  Preacher  Himself  have  been  preserved  to  us  in  the 
criticism  of  His  hearers,  and  are  manifest  in  the  remains 
of  His  addresses  which  the  Gospels  contain. 

91.  The  most  prominent  of  them  seems  to  have  been 
Authority:  "  The  people  were  astonished  at  His  doctrine, 
for  He  tauffht  them  as  one  havino;  authoritv,  and  not  as  the 
scribes."  The  first  thino-  His  hearers  were  struck  with  was 
the  contrast  between  His  words  and  the  preaching  which 
they  were  wont  to  hear  from  the  scribes  in  the  synagogues. 
These  were  the  exponents  of  the  deadest  and  driest  sys- 
tem of  theology  that  has  ever  passed  in  any  age  for 
religion.  Instead  of  expounding  the  Scriptures,  which 
were  in  their  hands,  and  would  have  lent  living  power  to 
their  words,  they  retailed  the  opinions  of  commentators, 
and  were  afraid  to  advance  anv  statement,  unless  it  was 
backed  by  the  authority  of  some  master.  Instead  of 
dwelling:  on  the  irreat  themes  of  iustice  and  mercv,  love 
and  God,  they  tortured  the  sacred  text  into  a  ceremonial 
manual,  and  preached  on  the  proper  breadth  of  phylac- 
teries, the  proper  postures  for  prayer,  the  proper  length  of 
fasts,  the  distance  which  might  be  walked  on  the  Sabbath, 
and  so  forth;  for  in  these  things  the  religion  of  the  time 
consisted.  In  order  to  see  anything  in  modern  times  at  all 
like  the  preaching  which  then  prevailed,  we  must  go  back 
to  the  Reformation  period,  when,  as  the  historian  of  Knox 
tells  us,  the  harangues  delivered  by  the  monks  were  empty, 
ridiculous,  and  wretched  in  the  extreme.  "  Legendary 
tales  concerning  the  founder  of  some  religious  order,  the 
miracles  he  performed,  his  combats  with  the  devil,  his 
watchings,  fastings,  flagellations;  the  virtues  of  holy  water, 


73  THE    LIFE    OF   JESUS    CHRIST. 

chrism,  crossing,  and  exorcism;  the  horrors  of  purgatory, 
and  the  numbers  released  from  it  by  the  intercessions  of 
some  powerful  saint, — these,  with  low  jests,  table-talk, 
and  fireside  scandal,  formed  the  favorite  topics  of  the 
preachers,  and  were  served  up  to  the  people  instead  of  the 
pure,  salutary,  and  sublime  doctrines  of  the  Bible."  Per- 
haps the  contrast  which  the  Scottish  people  three  and  a 
half  centuries  ag-o  felt  between  such  harangues  and  the 
noble  words  of  Wishart  and  Knox,  may  convey  to  our 
mind  as  orood  an  idea  as  can  be  g-ot  of  the  effect  of  the 
preacliing  of  Jesus  on  His  contemporaries.  He  knew 
nothino;  of  the  authoritv  of  masters  and  schools  of  inter- 
pretation,  but  spoke  as  One  whose  own  eyes  had  gazed  on 
the  objects  of  the  eternal  world.  He  needed  none  to  tell 
Him  of  God  or  of  man,  for  He  knew  both  perfectly.  He 
was  possessed  with  the  sense  of  a  mission,  which  drove 
Him  on  and  imparted  earnestness  to  every  word  and  ges- 
ture. He  knew  Himself  sent  from  God,  and  the  words  He 
spoke  to  be  not  His  own,  but  God's.  He  did  not  hesitate 
to  tell  those  who  neglected  His  words  that  in  the  judg- 
ment they  would  be  condemned  by  the  Ninevites  and  the 
Queen  of  Sheba,  who  had  listened  to  Jonah  and  Solomon, 
for  they  were  hearing  One  greater  than  any  prophet  or 
king  of  the  olden  time.  He  warned  them  that  on  their 
acceptance  or  rejection  of  the  message  He  bore  would 
depend  their  future  weal  or  woe.  This  was  the  tone  of 
earnestness,  of  majesty  and  authority  that  smote  His  hear- 
ers with  awe. 

*92.  Another  quality  which  the  people  remarked  in  Him 
was  Boldness  :  "  Lo,  He  speaketh  boldly."  This  appeared 
the  more  wonderful  because  He  was  an  unlettered  man, 
who  had  not  passed  through  the  schools  of  Jerusalem  or 
received  the  imprimatur  of  any  earthly  authority.  But 
this  quality  came   from  the  same  source  as  Hi«  ^.uthoritJfc- 


THK  YEAR  OP  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  73 

tiveness.  Timidity  usually  springs  from  self-consciousness. 
The  preacher  who  is  afraid  of  his  audience,  and  respects 
the  persons  of  the  learned  and  the  great,  is  thinking  of 
himself  and  of  what  will  be  said  of  his  performance.  But 
he  who  feels  himself  driven  on  by  a  divine  mission  forgets 
himself.  All  audiences  are  alike  to  him,  be  they  gentle  or 
simple;  he  is  thinking  only  of  the  message  he  has  to  de- 
liver. Jesus  was  ever  looking  the  spiritual  and  eternal 
realities  in  the  face;  the  spell  of  their  greatness  held  Him, 
and  all  human  distinctions  disappeared  in  their  presence; 
men  of  every  class  were  only  men  to  Him.  He  was  borne 
along  on  the  torrent  of  His  mission,  and  what  might  happen 
to  Himself  could  not  make  Him  stop  to  question  or  quail. 
He  discovered  His  boldness  chiefly  in  attacking  the  abuses 
and  ideals  of  the  time.  It  would  be  a  complete  mistake  to 
think  of  Him  as  all  mildness  and  meekness.  There  is 
scarcely  any  element  more  conspicuous  in  His  words  than 
a  strain  of  fierce  indignation.  It  was  an  age  of  shams 
above  almost  any  that  have  ever  been.  They  occupied  all 
high  places.  They  paraded  themselves  in  social  life,  occu- 
pied the  chairs  of  learning,  and  above  all  debased  every 
part  of  religion.  Hypocrisy  had  become  so  universal  that 
it  had  ceased  even  to  doubt  itself.  The  ideals  of  the  peo- 
ple were  utterly  mean  and  mistaken.  One  can  feel  throb- 
bing through  His  words,  from  first  to  last,  an  indignation 
against  all  this,  which  had  begun  with  His  earliest  obser- 
vation in  Nazareth  and  ripened  with  His  increasing  knowl- 
edge of  the  times.  The  things  which  were  highly  esteemed 
among  men,  He  broadly  asserted,  were  abomination  in  the 
sight  of  God.  There  never  was  in  the  history  of  speech  a 
polemic  so  scathing,  so  annihilating,  as  His  against  the 
figures  to  which  the  reverence  of  the  multitude  had  been 
paid  before  His  withering  words  fell  on  them  —  the  scribe, 
the  Pharisee,  the  priest,  and  the  Levite. 
4 


74  THE   LIFE    OP   JEStJS   CHRIST. 

93.  A  third  quality  which  His  hearers  remarked  was 
Power  :  "  His  word  was  with  power."  This  was  the  result 
of  that  unction  of  the  Holy  One,  without  which  even  the 
most  solemn  truths  fall  on  the  ear  without  effect.  He  was 
filled  with  the  Spirit  without  measure.  Therefore  the 
truth  possessed  Him.  It  burned  and  swelled  in  His  own 
bosom,  and  He  spoke  it  forth  from  heart  to  heart.  He  had 
the  Spirit  not  only  in  such  degree  as  to  fill  Himself,  but  so 
as  to  be  able  to  impart  it  to  others.  It  overflowed  with 
His  words  and  seized  the  souls  of  His  hearers,  filling  with 
enthusiasm  the  mind  and  the  heart. 

94.  A  fourth  quality  which  was  observed  in  His  preach- 
ing, and  was  surely  a  very  prominent  one,  was  Gracious- 
ness  :  "  They  wondered  at  the  gracious  words  which  pro- 
ceeded out  of  His  mouth."  In  spite  of  His  tone  of  au- 
thority and  His  fearless  and  scathing  attacks  on  the  times, 
there  was  diffused  over  all  He  said  a  glow  of  grace  and 
love.  Here  especially  His  character  spoke.  How  could 
He  who  was  the  incarnation  of  love  help  letting  the  glow 
and  warmth  of  the  heavenly  fire  that  dwelt  in  Him  spread 
over  His  words?  The  scribes  of  the  time  were  hard, 
proud,  and  loveless.  They  flattered  the  rich  and  honored 
the  learned,  but  of  the  great  mass  of  their  hearers  they 
said,  *'This  people,  which  knoweth  not  the  law,  is  cursed." 
But  to  Jesus  every  soul  was  infinitely  precious.  It  mat- 
tered not  under  what  humble  dress  or  social  deformity  the 
pearl  was  hidden ;  it  mattered  not  even  beneath  what  rub- 
bish and  filth  of  sin  it  was  buried;  He  never  missed  it  for 
a  moment.  Therefore  He  spoke  to  His  hearers  of  every 
grade  with  the  same  respect.  Surely  it  was  the  divine  love 
itself,  uttering  itself  from  the  innermost  recess  of  the 
divine  being,  that  spoke  in  the  parables  of  the  fifteenth  of 
Luke. 

95.  Such  were  some  of  the  qualities  of  the  Preacher. 


THE  YEAR  OP  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  75 

And  one  more  may  be  mentioned,  which  may  be  said  to 
embrace  all  the  rest,  and  is  perhaps  the  highest  quality  of 
public  speech.  He  addressed  men  as  men,  not  as  mem- 
bers of  any  class  or  possessors  of  any  peculiar  culture. 
The  differences  which  divide  men,  such  as  wealth,  rank, 
and  education,  are  on  the  surface.  The  elements  in  which 
they  are  all  alike  —  the  broad  sense  of  the  understanding, 
the  great  passions  of  the  heart,  the  primary  instincts  of  the 
conscience — are  profound.  Not  that  these  are  the  same 
in  all  men.  In  some  they  are  deeper,  in  others  shallower; 
but  in  all  they  are  far  deeper  than  aught  else.  He  who 
addresses  them  appeals  to  the  deepest  thing  in  His  hearers. 
He  will  be  equally  intelligible  to  all.  Every  hearer  will 
receive  his  own  portion  from  Him;  the  small  and  shallow 
mind  will  get  as  much  as  it  can  take,  and  the  largest  and 
deepest  will  get  its  fill  at  the  same  feast.  This  is  why  the 
words  of  Jesus  are  perennial  in  their  freshness.  They  are 
for  all  generations,  and  equally  for  all.  They  appeal  to  the 
deepest  elements  in  human  nature  to-day  in  England  or 
China  as  much  as  they  did  in  Palestine  when  they  were 
spoken. 

/  96.  When  we  come  to  inquire  what  the  matter  of  Jesus' 
preaching  consisted  of,  we  perhaps  naturally  expect  to  find 
Him  expounding  the  system  of  doctrine  which  we  are  our- 
selves acquainted  with,  in  the  forms,  say,  of  the  Catechism 
or  the  Confession  of  Faith.  But  what  we  find  is  very  dif- 
ferent. He  did  not  make  use  of  any  system  of  doctrine. 
We  can  scarcely  doubt,  indeed,  that  all  the  numerous  and 
varied  ideas  of  His  preaching,  as  well  as  those  which  He 
never  expressed,  co  existed  in  His  mind  as  one  world  of 
rounded  truth.  But  they  did  not  so  co-exist  in  His  teach- 
ing. He  did  not  use  theological  phraseology,  speaking  of 
the  Trinity,  of  predestination,  of  effectual  calling,  although 


76  THE   LIFE   OP   JESUS   CHRIST. 

the  ideas  which  these  terms  cover  underlay  His  words,  and 
it  is  the  undoubted  task  of  science  to  bring  them  forth. 
But  He  spoke  in  the  language  of  life,  and  concentrated 
His  preaching  on  a  few  burning  points,  that  touched  the 
heart,  the  conscience,  and  the  time. 

97.  The  central  idea  and  the  commonest  phrase  of  His 
preaching  was  "the  kingdom  of  God."  It  will  be  remem- 
bered how  many  of  His  parables  begin  with  "  The  king- 
dom of  Heaven  is  like,"  so  and  so.  He  said,  "  I  must 
preach  the  kingdom  of  God  to  other  cities  also,"  thereby 
characterizing  the  matter  of  His  preaching;  and  in  the 
same  way  He  is  said  to  have  sent  forth  the  apostles  "  to 
preach  the  kingdom  of  God."  He  did  not  invent  the 
phrase.  It  was  a  historical  one  handed  down  from  the 
past,  and  was  common  in  the  mouths  of  His  contempora- 
ries. The  Baptist  had  made  large  use  of  it,  the  burden 
of  his  messa2:e  beino-,  "  The  king^dom  of  God  is  at  hand." 

98.  What  did  it  signify?  It  meant  the  new  era,  which 
the  prophets  had  predicted  and  the  saints  had  looked  for. 
Jesus  announced  that  it  had  come,  and  that  He  had  brought 
it.  The  time  of  waiting  was  fulfilled.  Many  prophets  and 
righteous  men,  He  told  His  contemporaries,  had  desired  tf 
see  the  things  which  they -saw,  but  had  not  seen  them. 
He  declared  that  so  great  were  the  privileges  and  glories 
of  the  new  time,  that  the  least  partaker  of  them  was  greater 
than  the  Baptist,  though  he  had  been  the  greatest  repre- 
sentative of  the  old  time. 

99.  All  this  was  no  more  than  His  contemporaries  would 
have  expected  to  hear,  if  they  had  recognized  that  the 
kingdom  of  God  was  really  come.  But  they  looked  round, 
and  asked  where  the  new  era  was  which  Jesus  said  He  had 
brought.  Here  He  and  they  were  at  complete  variance. 
They  emphasized  the  first  part  of  the  phrase,  "  the  king- 
dom," He  the  second,  "  of  God."     They  expected  the  new 


THE  YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  77 

era  to  appear  in  magnificent  material  forms,  —  in  a  kingdom 
of  which  God  indeed  was  to  be  the  Ruler,  but  which  was 
to  show  itself  in  worldly  splendor,  in  force  of  arms,  in  a 
universal  empire.  Jesus  saw  the  new  era  in  an  empire  of 
God  over  the  loving  heart  and  the  obedient  will.  They 
looked  for  it  outside.  He  said,  "It  is  within  you."  They 
looked  for  a  period  of  external  glory  and  happiness.  He 
placed  the  glory  and  blessedness  of  the  new  time  in  char- 
acter. So  He  began  His  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  that  great 
manifesto  of  the  new  era,  with  a  series  of  "  Blesseds." 
But  the  blessedness  was  entirely  that  of  character.  And 
it  was  a  character  totally  different  from  that  which  was 
then  looked  up  to  as  imparting  glory  and  happiness  to  its 
possessor  —  that  of  the  proud  Pharisee,  the  wealthy  Sad- 
ducee,  or  the  learned  scribe.  Blessed,  said  He,  are  the 
poor  in  spirit,  they  that  mourn,  the  meek,  they  which  do 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  the  merciful,  the 
pure  in  heart,  the  peacemakers,  they  which  are  persecuted 
for  righteousness'  sake. 

100.  The  main  drift  of  His  preaching  was  to  set  forth 
this  conception  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  the  character  of 
its  members,  their  blessedness  in  the  love  and  communion 
of  their  Father  in  heaven,  and  their  prospects  in  the  glory 
of  the  future  world.  He  exhibited  the  contrast  between  it 
and  the  formal  religion  of  the  time,  with  its  lack  of  spiritu- 
ality and  its  substitution  of  ceremonial  observances  for  char- 
acter. He  invited  all  classes  into  the  kino-dom, — the  rich 
by  showing,  as  in 'the  parable  of  the  Rich  Man  and  Laza- 
rus, the  vanity  and  danger  of  seeking  their  blessedness  in 
wealth;  and  the  poor  by  penetrating  them  with  the  sense 
of  their  dignity,  persuading  them  with  the  most  overflow- 
ing affection  and  winning  words  that  the  only  true  wealth 
was  in  character,  and  assurino:  them  that,  if  thev  souorht 
first  the  kingdom  of  God,  their   heavenly  Father,  who  fed 


78  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

the  ravens  and  clothed  the  lilies,  would  not  suffer  them  to 
want. 

101.  But  the  center  and  soul  of  His  preaching  was 
Himself.  He  contained  within  Himself  the  new  era.  He 
not  only  announced  it,  but  created  it.  The  new  character 
which  made  men  subjects  of  the  kingdom  and  sharers  of 
its  privileges  was  to  be  got  from  Him  alone.  Therefore 
the  practical  issue  of  every  address  of  Christ  was  the 
command  to  come  to  Him,  to  learn  of  Him,  to  follow  Him. 
"  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden," 
was  the  key-note,  the  deepest  and  final  word  of  all  His 
discourses. 

102.  It  is  impossible  to  read  the  discourses  of  Jesus 
without  remarking  that,  wonderful  as  they  are,  yet  some  of 
the  most  characteristic  doctrines  of  Christianity,  as  it  is 
set  forth  in  the  epistles  of  Paul  and  now  cherished  in 
the  minds  of  the  most  devoted  and  enlightened  Chris- 
tians, hold  a  very  inconsiderable  place  in  them.  Espe- 
cially is  this  the  case  in  regard  to  the  great  doctrines 
of  the  gospel  as  to  how  a  sinner  is  reconciled  to  God,  and 
how,  in  a  pardoned  soul,  the  character-  is  gradually  pro- 
duced which  makes  it  like  Christ  and  pleasing  to  the 
Father.  The  lack  of  reference  to  such  doctrines  may 
indeed  be  much  exaggerated,  the  fact  being  that  there  is 
not  one  prominent  doctrine  of  the  great  apostle  the  germs 
of  which  are  not  to  be  found  in  the  teaching  of  Christ 
Himself.  Yet  the  contrast  is  marked  enough  to  have  given 
some  color  for  denying  that  the  distinctive  doctrines  of 
Paul  are  genuine  elements  of  Christianity.  But  the  true 
explanation  of  the  phenomenon  is  very  different.  Jesus 
was  not  a  mere  teacher.  His  character  was  greater  than 
His  words,  and  so  was  His  work.  The  chief  part  of  that 
work  was  to  atone  for  the  sins  of  the  world  by  His  death 
on   the    cross.      But  His  nearest    followers    never   would 


THE  YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  79 

believe  that  He  was  to  die,  and,  until  His  death  happened, 
it  was  impossible  to  explain  its  far-reaching  significance. 
Paul's  most  distinctive  doctrines  are  merely  expositions  of 
the  meaning  of  two  great  facts, — the  death  of  Christ,  and 
the  mission  of  the  Spirit  by  tPie  glorified  Redeemer.  It  is 
obvious  that  these  facts  could  not  be  fully  explained  in  the 
words  of  Jesus  Himself,  w^hen  they  had  not  yet  taken 
place;  but  to  suppress  the  inspired  explanation  of  them 
would  be  to  extinguish  the  light  of  the  gospel  and  rob 
Christ  of  His  crowning  glory. 

103.  The  audience  of  Jesus  varied  exceedingly  both  in 
size  and  character  on  different  occasions.  Very  frequently 
it  was  the  great  multitude.  He  addressed  them  every- 
where— on  the  mountain,  on  the  sea-shore,  on  the  highway, 
in  the  synagogues,  in  the  temple  courts.  But  He  was 
quite  as  willing  to  speak  with  a  single  individual,  however 
humble.  He  seized  every  opportunity  of  doing  so.  x\l- 
though  He  was  worn-out  with  fatigue,  He  talked  to  the 
woman  at  the  well;  He  received  Nicodemus  alone;  He 
taught  Mary  in  her  home.  There  are  said  to  be  nineteen 
such  private  interviews  mentioned  in  the  Gospels.  They 
leave  to  His  followers  a  memorable  example.  This  is  per- 
haps the  most  effective  of  all  forms  of  instruction,  as  it  is 
certainly  the  best  test  of  earnestness.  A  man  who 
preaches  to  thousands  with  enthusiasm  may  be  a  mere 
orator,  but  the  man  who  seeks  the  opportunity  of  speaking 
closely  of  the"  welfare  of  their  souls  to  individuals  must 
have  a  real  fire  from  heaven  burnino-  in  his  heart. 

104.  Often  His  audience  consisted  of  the  circle  of  His 
disciples.  His  preaching  divided  His  hearers.  He  has 
Himself,  in  such  parables  as  the  Sower,  the  Tares  and  the 
Wheat,  the  Wedding  Feast,  and  so  forth,  described  with 
unequalled  vividness  its  effects  on  different  classes.     Some 


80  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

it  utterly  repelled;  others  heard  it  with  wonder,  without 
being  touched  in  the  heart;  others  were  affected  for  a  time, 
but  soon  returned  to  their  old  interests.  It  is  terrible  to 
think  how  few  there  were,  even  when  the  Son  of  God  was 
preaching-,  who  heard  unto  salvation.  Those  who  did  so, 
gradually  formed  round  Him  a  bod}^  of  disciples.  They 
followed  Him  about,  hearing  all  his  discourses,  and  often 
He  spoke  to  them  alone.  Such  were  the  five  hundred  to 
whom  He  appeared  in  Galilee  after  His  resurrection.  Some 
of  them  were  women,  such  as  Mary  Magdalene,  Susanna, 
and  Joanna  the  wife  of  Herod's  steward,  who,  being 
wealthy,  gladly  supplied  His  few  simple  wants.  To  these 
disciples  He  gave  a  more  thorough  instruction  than  to  the 
crowd.  He  explained  to  them  in  private  whatever  was  ob- 
scure in  His  public  teaching.  More  than  once  He  made 
the  strange  statement  that  He  spake  in  parables  to  the 
multitudes  in  order  that,  though  hearing,  they  might  not 
understand.  This  could  only  mean,  that  those  who  had  no 
real  interest  in  the  truth  were  sent  away  with  the  mere 
beautiful  shell,  but  that  the  obscurity  was  intended  to  pro- 
voke to  further  inquiry,  as  a  veil  half-drawn  over  a  beau- 
tiful face  intensifies  the  desire  to  see  it;  and  to  those  who 
had  a  spiritual  craving  for  more  He  gladly  communicated 
the  hidden  secret.  These,  when  the  nation  as  a  whole  de- 
clared itself  unworthy  of  being  the  medium  of  the  Mes- 
siah's world-wide  influence,  became  the  nucleus  of  that 
spiritual  society,  elevated  above  all  local  limitations  and 
distinctions  of  rank  and  nationality,  in  which  the  spirit 
and  doctrine  of  Christ  were  to  be  spread  and  perpetuated 
in  the  world. 

105.  The  Apostolate.  —  Perhaps  the  formation  of  the 
Apostolate  ought  to  be  placed  side  by  side  with  miracles 
and  preaching  as  a  third  means  by  which  He  did  His  work. 


THE  YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  8l 

The  men  who  became  the  twelve  apostles  were  at  first  only 
ordinary  disciples  like  many  others.  This,  at  least,  was  the 
position  of  such  of  them  as  were  already  His  followers 
during  the  first  year  of  His  ministry.  At  the  opening  of 
His  Galilean  activity,  their  attachment  to  Him  entered  on 
a  second  stage;  He  called  them  to  give  up  their  ordinary 
employments  and  be  with  Him  constantly.  And  probably 
not  many  weeks  afterwards,  He  promoted  them  to  the  third 
and  fiiicil  stage  of  nearness  to  Himself,  by  ordaining  them 
to  be  apostles. 

106.  It  was  when  His  work  grew  so  extensive  and 
pressing  that  it  was  quite  impossible  for  Him  to  overtake 
it  all,  that  He  multiplied  Himself,  so  to  speak,  by  appoint- 
ing them  His  assistants.  He  commissioned  them  to  teach 
the  simpler  elements  of  His  doctrine,  and  conferred  on 
them  miraculous  powers  similar  to  His  own.  In  this  way 
many  towns  were  evangelized  which  He  had  not  time  to 
visit,  and  many  persons  cured  who  could   not   have   been 

brou2:ht  into  contact  with  Himself.     But,  as  future  events 

....  • 

proved.  His  aims  in  their  appointment   were  much  more 

far-reaching.  His  work  was  for  all  time  and  for  the  whole 
world.  It  could  not  be  accomplished  in  a  single  lifetime. 
He  foresaw  this,  and  made  provision  for  it  by  the  early 
choice  of  agents  who  might  take  up  His  plans  after  He  was 
gone,  and  in  whom  He  might  still  extend  His  influence 
over  mankind.  He  Himself  wrote  nothing.  It  may  be 
thought  that  writing  would  have  been  the  best  way  of  per- 
petuating His  influence,  and  giving  the  world  a  perfect 
image  of  Himself;  and  we  can  not  help  imagining  with  a 
glow  of  strong  desire  what  a  volume  penned  by  His  hand 
would  have  been.  But  for  wise  reasons  He  abstained  from 
this  kind  of  work  and  resolved  to  live  after  death  in  the 
lives  of  chosen  men. 

107.  It  is  surprising  to  see  what  sort  of  persons  He 

F 


82  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

selected  for  so  ^rand  a  destiny.  They  did  not  belong  to 
the  influential  and  learned  classes.  No  doubt  the  heads 
and  leaders  of  the  nation  ought  to  have  been  the  organs 
of  their  Messiah,  but  they  proved  themselves  totally 
unworthy  of  the  great  vocation.  He  was  able  to  do  with- 
out thern;  He  needed  not  the  influence  of  carnal  power 
and  wisdom.  Ever  wont  to  work  with  the  elements  of 
character  that  are  not  bound  to  any  station  of  life  or  grade 
of  culture,  He  did  not  scruple  to  commit  His  cause  to 
twelve  simple  men,  destitute  of  learning  and  belonging  to 
the  common  people.  He  made  the  selection  after  a  night 
spent  in  prayer,  and  doubtless  after  many  days  of  delibera- 
tion. The  event  showed  with  what  insio-ht  into  character 
He  had  acted.  They  turned  out  to  be  instrujnents  thor- 
oughly fitted  for  the  great  design;  two  at  least,  John  and 
Peter,  were  men  of  supreme  gifts;  and,  though  one  turned 
out  a  traitor,  and  the  choice  of  him  will  probably,  after  all 
explanations,  ever  remain  a  very  partially  explained  mys- 
tery, yet  the  selection  of  agents  who  were  at  first  so 
unlikely,  but  in  the  end  proved  so  successful,  will  always 
be  one  of  the  chief  monuments  of  the  incomparable 
originality  of  Jesus. 

108.  It  would,  however,  be  a  very  inadequate  account 
of  His  relation  to  the  Twelve  merely  to  point  out  the 
insight  with  w^hich  He  discerned  in  them  the  germs  of  fit- 
ness for  their  grand  future.  They  became  very  great  men, 
and  in  the  founding  of  the  Christian  Church  achieved  a 
work  of  immeasurable  importance.  They  may  be  said,  in 
a  sense  they  little  dreamed  of,  to  sit  on  thrones  ruling  tlm 
modern  world.  They  stand  like  a  row  of  noble  pillars 
towering  far  across  the  flats  of  time.  But  the  sunlight 
that  shines  on  them,  and  makes  them  visible,  comes  entirely 
from  Him.  He  gave  them  all  their  greatness;  and  theirs 
is  one  of  the  most  strikins:  evidences  of  His.     What  must 


THE  YEAR  OP  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  83 

He  have  been  whose  infiuence  imparted  to  them  such  mag- 
nitude of  character,  and  made  them  fit  for  so  gigantic  a 
task!  At  first  they  were  rude  and  carnal  in  the  extreme. 
What  hope  was  there  that  they  would  ever  be  able  to 
appreciate  the  designs  of  a  mind  like  His,  to  inherit  His 
work,  to  possess  in  any  degree  a  spirit  so  exquisite,  and 
transmit  to  future  generations  a  faithful  image  of  His 
character?  But  He  educated  them  with  the  most  affec- 
tionate patience,  bearing  with  their  vulgar  hopes  and  their 
clumsy  misunderstandings  of  His  meaning.  Never  forget- 
ting for  a  moment  the  part  they  were  to  play  in  the  future. 
He  made  their  training  His  most  constant  work.  They 
were  much  more  constantly  in  His  company  than  even  the 
general  body  of  His  disciples,  seeing  all  He  did  in  public 
and  hearing  all  He  said.  They  were  often  His  only  audi- 
ence, and  then  He  unveiled  to  them  the  glories  and  mys- 
teries of  His  doctrine,  sowing  in  their  minds  the  seeds  of 
truth,  which  time  and  experience  were  by  and  by  to  fructi- 
fy. But  the  most  important  part  of  their  training  was  one 
which  was  perhaps  at  the  time  little  noticed,  though  it  was 
producing  splendid  results, — the  silent  and  constant  influ- 
ence of  His  character  on  theirs.  He  drew  them  to  Him- 
self and  stamped  His  own  image  on  them.  It  was  this 
which  made  them  the  men  they  became.  For  this,  more 
than  all  else,  the  generations  of  those  w4io  love  Him  look 
back  to  them  with  envy.  We  admire  and  adore  at  a  dis- 
tance the  qualities  of  His  character;  but  what  must  it 
have  been  to  see  them  in  the  unity  of  life,  and  for  years  to 
feel  their  moulding  pressure!  Can  we  recall  with  any 
fulness  the  features  of  this  character  whose  glory  they 
beheld  and  under  whose  power  they  lived? 

109.   The   Human   Character   of  Jesus.  —  Perhaps   the 
most  obvious   feature   which   they  would  remark  in   Him 


84  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

was  Purposefulness.  This  certainly  is  the  ground-tone 
which  sounds  in  all  His  sayings  which  have  been  preserved 
to  us,  and  the  pulse  which  we  feel  beating  in  all  His  re- 
corded actions.  He  was  possessed  with  a  purpose  which 
guided  and  drove  Him  on.  Most  lives  aim  at  nothing  in 
particular,  but  drift  along,  under  the  influence  of  varying 
moods  and  instincts  or  on  the  currents  of  society,  and 
achieve  nothing.  But  Jesus  evidently  had  a  definite  ob- 
ject before  Him,  which  absorbed  His  thoughts  and  drew 
out  His  energies.  He  would  often  give  as  a  reason  for  not 
doing  something,  "  Mine  hour  is  not  yet  come,"  as  if  His 
design  absorbed  every  moment,  and  every  hour  had  its 
own  allotted  part  of  the  task.  This  imparted  an  earnest- 
ness and  rapidity  of  execution  to  His  life  which  most  lives 
altogether  lack.  It  saved  Him,  too,  from  that  dispersion 
of  energy  on  details,  and  carefulness  about  little  things,  on 
which  those  who  obey  no  definite  call  throw  themselves 
away,  and  made  His  life,  various  as  were  its  activities,  an 
unbroken  unity. 

110.  Very  closely  connected  with  this  quality  was  an- 
other prominent  one,  which  may  be  called  Faith,  and  by 
which  is  meant  His  astonishing  confidence  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  His  purpose,  and  apparent  disregard  both  of 
means  and  opposition.  If  it  be  considered  in  the  mgst 
general  way  how  vast  His  aim  was  —  to  reform  His  nation 
and  begin  an  everlasting  and  world-wide  religious  move- 
ment; if  the  opposition  which  He  encountered,  and  fore- 
saw His  cause  would  have  to  meet  at  every  stage  of  its 
progress,  be  considered;  and  if  it  be  remembered  what,  as 
a  man,  He  was  —  an  unlettered  Galilean  peasant — His 
quiet  and  unwavering  confidence  in  His  success  will  appear 
only  less  remarkable  than  His  success  itself.  After  read- 
ing the  Gospels  through,  one  asks  in  wonder  what  He  did 
to  produce   so   mighty  an  impression  on  the  world.     He 


THE  YEAR  OP  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  85 

constructed  no  elaborate  machinery  to  ensure  the  effect. 
He  did  not  lay  hold  of  the  centers  of  influence  —  learnin^r, 
wealth,  government,    etc.     It  is    true    He    instituted   the 
Church.     But  He  left  no  detailed  explanations  of  its  nature 
or  rules  for  its  constitution.     This  was  the  simplicity  of 
faith,  which  does  not  contrive  and  prepare,  but  simply  goes 
onward  and  does  the  work.     It  was  the  quality  which  He 
said  could  remove  mountains,  and  which  He  chiefly  desid- 
erated in  His  followers.     This  was  the  foolishness  of  the 
gospel,  of  which   Paul   boasted,  as  it  was  going  forth,  in 
the  recklessness  of  power,  but  with  laughable  meagerness 
of  equipment,  to  overcome  the   Greek  and  Roman  world. 
111.  A  third  prominent  feature  of  His   character  was 
Originality.     Most  lives  are   easily  explained.      They  are 
mere  products  of  circumstances,  and  copies  of  thousands 
like  them  which  surround  or   have  preceded  them.      The 
habits  and  customs  of  the  country  to  which  we  belong,  the 
fashion  and  tastes  of  our  generation,  the  traditions  of  our 
education,  the  prejudices  of  our  class,  the  opinions  of  our 
school  or  sect, —  these  form  us.-    We  do  work  determined 
for  us  by  a  fortuitous  concourse  of  circumstances;  our  con- 
victions are  fixed  on  us  by  authority  from  without,  instead 
of  waxing  naturally  from  within;  our  opinions  are  blown 
to  us  in  fragments  on  every  wind.     But  what  circumstan- 
ces made  the  Man  Christ  Jesus?      There  never  was  an  age 
more  dry  and  barren  than  that  in  which  He  was-  born.     He 
was  like  a  tall,  fresh  palm  springing  out  of  a  desert.    What 
was  there  in  the  petty  life  of  Nazareth  to  produce  so  gigan- 
tic a  character?     How  could  the  notoriously  wicked  village 
send  forth  such  breathing  purity?      It  may  have  been  that 
a  scribe  taught  Him  the  vocables  and  grammar  of  knowl- 
edge, but  His  doctrine  was  a  complete  contradiction  of  all 
that  the  scribes  taught.     The  fashions  of  the   sects   never 
laid   hold  of   His    free    spirit.     How    clearly,    amidst   the 


86  THE   LIFE   OF   JEStTS   CHRIST. 

sounds  which  filled  the  ears  of  His  time,  He  heard  the 
neglected  voice  of  truth,  which  was  quite  different  from 
them!  How  clearly,  behind  all  the  pretentious  and  ac- 
cepted forms  of  piety,  He  saw  the  lovely  and  neglected 
figure  of  real  godliness!  He  can  not  be  explained  by  any- 
thing which  was  in  the  world  and  might  have  produced 
Him.  He  grew  from  within.  He  directed  His  eyes  straight 
on  the  facts  of  nature  and  life  and  believed  what  He  saw, 
instead  of  allowing  His  vision  to  be  tutored  by  what  others 
had  said  they  saw.  He  was  equally  loyal  to  the  truth 
in  His  words.  He  went  forth  and  spoke  out  without  hesi- 
tation what  He  believed,  though  it  shook  to  their  founda- 
tions the  institutions,  the  creeds,  and  customs  of  His  coun- 
try, and  loosened  the  opinions  of  the  populace  in  a  hun- 
dred points  in  which  they  had  been  educated.  It  may,  in- 
deed, be  said  that,  though  the  Jewish  nation  of  His  own 
time  was  an  utterly  dry  ground,  out  of  which  no  green 
and  great  thing  could  be  expected  to  grow,  He  reverted  to 
the  earlier  history  of  His  nation  and  nourished  His  mind 
on  the  ideas  of  Moses  and  the  prophets.  There  is  some 
truth  in  this.  But  affectionate  and  constant  as  was  His 
familiarity  with  them,  He  handled  them  with  a  free  and 
fearless  hand.  He  redeemed  them  from  themselves  and 
exhibited  in  perfection  the  ideas  which  they  taught  only  in 
germ.  What  a  contrast  between  the  covenant  God  of 
Israel  and  the  Father  in  heaven  whom  He  revealed;  be- 
tween the  temple,  with  its  priests  and  bloody  sacrifices, 
and  the  worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth  ;  between  the  national 
and  ceremonial  morality  of  the  Law  and  the  morality  of 
the  conscience  and  the  heart !  Even  in  comparison  with 
the  figures  of  Moses,  Elijah,  and  Isaiah,  He  towers  aloft 
in  lonely  originality. 

112.  A  fourth  and  very  glorious  feature  of  His  charac* 
ter  was  Love  to  Men.     It  has  been  already  said  that  He 


THE  YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  87 

was  possessed  with  an  overmastering  purpose.  But  be- 
neath a  great  life-purpose  there  must  be  a  great  passion, 
which  shapes  and  sustains  it.  Love  to  men  was  the  passion 
which  directed  and  inspired  Him.  How  it  sprang  up  and 
grew  in  the  seclusion  of  Nazareth,  and  on  what  materials 
it  fed,  we  have  not  been  informed  with  any  detail.  We 
only  know  that,  when  He  appeared  in  public,  it  was  a 
master-passion,  which  completely  swallowed  up  self-love, 
filled  Him  with  boundless  pity  for  human  misery,  and 
enabled  Him  to  go  forward  without  once  looking  back  in 
the  undertaking  to  which  He  devoted  Himself.  We  know 
only  in  general  that  it  drew  its  support  from  the  concep- 
tion He  had  of  the  infinite  value  of  the  human  soul.  It 
overleapt  all  the  limits  which  other  men  have  put  to  their 
benevolence.  Differences  of  class  and  nationality  usually 
cool  men's  interest  in  each  other;  in  nearly  all  countries 
it  has  been  considered  a  virtue  to  hate  enemies;  and  it  is 
generally  agreed  to  loathe  and  avoid  those  who  have  out- 
raged the  laws  of  respectability.  But  He  paid  no  heed  to 
these  conventions;  the  overpowering  sense  of  the  precious- 
ness  which  He  perceived  in  enemy,  foreigner,  and  outcast 
alike,  forbidding  Him.  This  marvellous  love  shaped  the 
purpose  of  His  life.  It  gave  Him  the  most  tender  and  in- 
tense sympathy  with  every  form  of  pain  and  misery.  It 
was  His  deepest  reason  for  adopting  the  calling  of  a  healer. 
Wherever  help  was  most  needed,  thither  His  merciful  heart 
drew  Him.  But  it  was  especially  to  save  the  soul  that  His 
love  impelled  Him.  He  knew  this  was  the  real  jewel, 
which  everything  should  be  done  to  rescue,  and  that  its 
miseries  and  perils  were  the  most  dangerous  of  all.  There 
has  sometimes  been  love  to  others  without  this  vital  aim. 
But  His  love  was  directed  by  wisdom  to  the  truest  weal  of 
those  He]  loved.  He  knew  He  was  doing  His  very  best 
for  them  when  He  was  savins:  them  from  their  sins. 


88  THE    LIFE    OF   JESUS    CHRIST. 

113.  But  the  crowning  attribute  of  His  human  charac- 
ter was  Love  to  God.  It  is  the  supreme  honor  and  attain- 
ment of  man  to  be  one  with  God  in  feeling,  thought,  and 
purpose.  Jesus  had  this  in  perfection.  To  us  it  is  very- 
difficult  to  realize  God.  The  mass  of  men  scarcely  think 
about  Him  at  all;  and  even  the  godliest  confess  that  it  costs 
them  severe  effort  to  discipline  their  minds  into  the  habit 
of  constantly  realizing  Him.  When  we  do  think  of  Him, 
it  is  with  a  painful  sense  of  a  disharmony  between  what  is 
in  us  and  what  is  in  Him.  We  can  not  remain,  even  for  a 
few  minutes,  in  His  presence  without  the  sense  in  greater 
or  less  degree,  that  His  thoughts  are  not  our  thoughts,  nor 
His  ways  our  ways.  With  Jesus  it  was  not. so.  He  real- 
ized God  always.  He  never  spent  an  hour,  He  never  did 
an  action,  without  direct  reference  to  Him.  God  was 
about  Him  like  the  atmosphere  He  breathed,  or  the  sun- 
light in  which  He  walked.  His  thoughts  were  God's 
thoughts;  His  desires  were  never  in  the  least  different 
from  God's;  His  purpose.  He  was  perfectly  sure,  was  God's 
purpose  for  Him.  How  did  He  attain  this  absolute  har- 
mony with  God?  To  a  large  extent  it  must  be  attributed 
to  the  perfect  harmony  of  His  nature  within  itself,  yet  in 
some  measure  He  got  it  by  the  same  means  by  which  we 
laboriously  seek  it, —  by  the  study  of  God's  thoughts  and 
purposes  in  His  Word,  which,  from  His  childhood,  was  His 
constant  delight;  by  cultivating  all  His  life  long  the  habit 
of  prayer,  for  which  He  found  time  even  when  He  had  not 
time  to  eat;  and  by  patiently  resisting  temptations  to  en- 
tertain thoughts  and  purposes  of  His  own  different  from 
God's.  This  it  was  given  which  gave  Him  such  faith  and 
fearlessness  in  His  work;  He  knew  that  the  call  to  do  it 
had  come  from  God,  and  that  He  was  immortal  till  it  was 
done.     This   was   what   made   Him,  with  all  His  self-con- 


THE  YEAR  OF  PUBLIC  FAVOR.  89 

sciousness  and  originality,  the  pattern  of  meekness  and 
submission;  for  He  was  for  ever  bringing  every  thought 
and  wish  into  obedience  to  His  Father's  will.  This  was 
the  secret  of  the  peace  and  majestic  calmness  which  im- 
parted such  a  grandeur  to  His  demeanor  in  the  most  trying 
hours  of  life.  He  knew  that  the  worst  that  could  happen 
to  Him  was  His  Father's  will  for  Him;  and  this  was  enouo-h. 
He  had  ever  at  hand  a  retreat  of  perfect  rest,  silence,  and 
sunshine,  into  which  He  could  retire  from  the  clamor  and 
confusion  around  Him.  This  was  the  great  secret  He  be- 
queathed to  His  followers,  when  He  said  to  them  at  part- 
ing, "  Peace  I  leave  with  you;  My  peace  I  give  unto  you." 
114.  The  Sinlessness  of  Jesus  has  been  often  dwelt  on 
as  the  crowning  attribute  of  His  character.  The  Scrip- 
tures, which  so  frankly  record  the  errors  of  their  very 
greatest  heroes,  such  as  Abraham  and  Moses,  have  no  sins 
of  His  to  record.  There  is  no  more  prominent  character- 
istic of  the  saints  of  antiquity  than  their  penitence:  the 
more  supremely  saintly  they  were,  the  more  abundant  and 
bitter  were  their  tears  and  lamentations  over  their  sinful- 
ness. But  although  it  is  acknowledged  by  all  that  Jesus 
was  the  supreme  religious  figure  of  history.  He  never  ex- 
hibited this  characteristic  of  saintliness;  He  confessed  no 
sin.  Must  it  not  have  been  because  He  had  no  sin  to  con- 
fess? Yet  the  idea  of  sinlessness  is  too  negative  to  express 
the  perfection  of  His  character.  He  was  sinless;  but  He 
was  so  because  He  was  absolutely  full  of  love.  Sin  against 
God  is  merely  the  expression  of  lack  of  love  to  God,  and 
sin  against  man  of  lack  of  love  to  man.  A  being  quite 
full  of  love  to  both  God  and  man  can  not  possibly  sin 
against  either.  This  fulness  of  love  to  His  Father  and  His 
fellow-men,  ruling  every  expression  of  His  being,  consti- 
tuted the  perfection  of  His  character. 
.        4* 


90  TU^   LIFE    OF   JESUS    CHRIST. 

115.  To  the  impression  produced  on  them  by  their  long- 
continued  contact  with  their  Master  the  Twelve  owed  all 
they  became.  We  can  not  trace  with  any  fulness  at  what 
time  they  began  to  realize  the  central  truth  of  the  Chris- 
tianity they  were  afterwards  to  publisn  to  the  world,  that 
behind  the  tenderness  and  majesty  of  this  human  character 
there  was  in  Him  something  still  more  august,  or  by  what 
stages  their  impressions  ripened  to  the  full  conviction  that 
in  Him  perfect  manhood  was  in  union  with  perfect  Deity. 
This  was  the  groal  of  all  the  revelations  of  Himself  which 
He  made  to  them.  But  the  breakdown  of  their  faith  at 
His  death  shows  how  immature  up  till  that  time  must  have 
been  their  convictions  in  regard  to  His  personality,  how- 
ever worthily  they  were  able,  in  certain  happy  hours,  to 
express  their  faith  in  Him.  It  was  the  experience  of  the 
Resurrection  and  Ascension  which  gave  to  the  fluid  impres- 
sions, which  had  long  been  accumulating  in  their  minds, 
the  touch  by  which  they  were  made  to  crystallize  into  the 
immovable  conviction,  that  in  Him  with  whom  it  had  been 
vouchsafed  to  them  to  associate  so  intimatelv,  God  was 
manifest  in  the  flesh. 


CHAPTER    V. 
THE  YEAR  OF  OPPOSITION. 

Paragraphs  116-118.  The  Change  of  Sentiment  towards  Him. 

119-131.  The  Causes  of  Opposition. 

119-131.  Opposition  of  the  influential  Classes. 

119.  Tlie  Saddiicees. 
120-130.  The  Pharisees'  Reasons  for  opposing  Him. 
122,  123.  Their  Preconceptions ;  124.  His  Lowly 
Origin;  125.  His  Followers;  126.  His  Dis- 
regard of  Traditions;  127.  The  Sabbath; 
128,  129.  Imputations  of  Blasphemy  and 
Alliance  with  the  Evil  One;  130.  Progress 
of  their  Opposition. 

131.  Herod. 

132-135.  Alienation  of  the  Common  People. 

132.  Popular  Opinions  of  Him;  133.  Efi"ect  of 
the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand;  134. 
Refusal  of  Jesus  to  be  their  King. 

136-143.  The  Changed  Aspect  of  His  Ministry. 

136-138.  The  Sifting  of  the  Disciples. 

137.  Wanderings  with  them  in    Remote  Paris, 
their  Great  Confession ;    138.  Prediction  of 
His  Suiferings,  their  Blindness. 
139-142.  His  Own  Thoughts  and  Feelings  at  this 
Period. 
140.  Prayerfulness ;     141.    The   Transfiguration; 
142.  Departure  from  Galilee  and  Journey  to 
Jerusalem. 
143.  The  Sanhedrim  resolves  on  His  Death. 


93 


i 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE    YEAR    OF    OPPOSITION. 


116.  For  a  whole  year  Jesus  pursued  His  work  in  Gali- 
lee with  incessant  energy,  moving  among  the  pitiable 
crowds  that  solicited  His  miraculous  help,  and  seizing 
every  opportunity  of  pouring  His  words  of  grace  and  truth 
into  the  ears  of  the  multitude  or  of  the  solitary  anxious 
inquirer.  In  hundreds  of  homes,  to  whose  inmates  He  had 
restored  health  and  joy.  His  name  must  have  become  a 
household  word;  in  thousands  of  minds,  whose  depths  His 
preaching  had  stirred.  He  must  have  been  cherished  with 
gratitude  and  love.  Wider  and  wider  rang  the  echoes  of 
His  fame.  For  a  time  it  seemed  as  if  all  Galilee  were  to 
become  His  disciples,  and  as  if  the  movement  so  set  ago- 
ing might  easily  roll  southward,  overbearing  all  opposition, 
and  enveloping  the  whole  land  in  an  enthusiasm  of  love 
for  the  Healer  and  of  obedience  to  the  Teacher. 

117.  But  the  twelve  months  had  scarcely  passed  when 
it  became  sadly  evident  that  this  was  not  to  be.  The  Gal- 
"lean  mind  turned  out  to  be  stony  ground,  where  the  seed 
of  the  kingdom  rushed  quickly  up,  but  just  as  quickly 
withered  away.  The  change  was  sudden  and  complete, 
and'  at  once  altered  all  the  features  of  the  life  of  Jesus. 
He  lingered  in  Galilee  for  six  months  longer;  but  these 
months  were  very  unlike  the  first  twelve.  The  voices  that 
rose  around  Him  were  no  longer  the  ringing  shouts  of 
gratitude  and  applause,  but  voices  of  opposition,  bitter  and 
blasphemous.     He  was  no   longer  to  be  seen  moving  from 


94:  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

one  populous  place  to  another  in  the  heart  of  the  country, 
welcomed  everywhere  by  those  who  waited  to  experience 
or  to  see  His  miracles,  and  followed  by  thousands  eager  not 
to  lose  a  word  of  His  discourses.  He  was  a  fugitive,  seek- 
ing the  most  distant  and  outlandish  places,  and  accom- 
panied only  by  a  handful  of  followers.  At  the  six  months' 
end  He  left  Galilee  for  ever,  but  not,  as  might  at  one  time 
have  been  anticipated,  borne  aloft  on  the  wave  of  public 
acknowledgment,  to  make  an  easy  conquest  of  the  hearts 
of  the  southern  part  of  the  country,  and  take  victorious 
possession  of  a  Jerusalem  unable  to  resist  the  unanimous 
voice  of  the  people.  He  did  indeed  labor  for  six  months 
more  in  the  southern  part  of  the  land  —  in  Judsea  and 
Per^a;  nor  were  there  awanting,  where  His  miracles  were 
seen  for  the  first  time,  the  same  signs  of  public  enthusiasm 
as  had  greeted  Him  in  the  first  months  of  joy  in  Galilee; 
but  the  most  which  He  eflfected  was  to  add  a  few  to  the 
company  of  His  faitljful  disciples.  He  did  indeed,  from 
the  day  He  left  Galilee,  set  His  face  steadfastly  towards 
Jerusalem;  and  the  six  months  He  spent  in  Persea  and 
Jud^a  may  be  regarded  as  occupied  with  a  slow  journev 
thither;  but  the  journey  was  begun  in  the  full  assurance, 
which  He  openly  expressed  to  the  disciples,  that  in  the 
capital  He  was  to  receive  no  triumph  over  enthusiastic 
hearts  and  minds  convinced,  but  meet  with  a  final  national 
rejection,  and  be  killed  instead  of  crowned. 

118.  We  must  trace  the  causes  and  the  progress  of  this 
change  in  the  sentiment  of  the  Galileans,  and  this  sad 
turn  in  the  career  of  Jesus. 

119.  From  the  very  first  the  learned  and  influential 
classes  had  taken  up  an  attitude  of  opposition  to  Him. 
The  more  worldly  sections  of  them,  indeed— the  Sadducees 
and  Herodians  —  for  a  long  time   paid  little  attention  to 


THE    YEAR    OF    OPPOSITION.  95 

Him.  They  had  their  own  affairs  to  mind  —  their  wealth, 
their  court  influence,  their  amusements.  They  cared  little 
for  a  relig-ious  movement  ffoino^  on  among-  the  lower  orders. 
The  public  rumor  that  one  professing  to  be  the  Messiah 
had  appeared  did  not  excite  their  interest,  for  they  did  not 
share  the  popular  expectations  on  the  subject.  They  said 
to  each  other  that  this  was  only  one  more  of  the  pretenders 
whom  the  peculiar  ideas  of  the  populace  were  sure  to  raise 
up  from  time  to  time.  It  was  only  when  the  movement 
seemed  to  them  to  be  threatening  to  lead  to  a  political  re- 
volt, which  would  bring  down  the  iron  hand  of  the  Roman 
masters  on  the  country,  afford  the  Procurator  an  excuse  for 
new  extortions,  and  imperil  their  property  and  comforts, 
that  they  roused  themselves  to  pay  any  attention  to 
Him. 

120.  Very  different  was  it,  however,  with  the  more 
religious  sections  of  the  upper  class — the  Pharisees  and 
scribes.  They  took  the  deepest  interest  in  all  ecclesiastical 
and  religious  phenomena.  A  movement  of  a  religious 
kind  among  the  populace  excited  their  eager  attention,  for 
they  themselves  aimed  at  popular  influence.  A  new  voice 
with  the  ring  of  prophecy  in  it,  or  the  promulgation  of  any 
new  doctrine  or  tenet,  caught  their  ear  at  once.  But,  above 
all,  any  one  putting  himself  forward  as  the  MeSsiah  pro- 
duced the  utmost  ferment  among  them;  for  they  ardently 
cherished  Messianic  hopes,  and  were  at  the  time  smarting 
keenly  under  the  foreign  domination.  In  relation  to  the 
rest  of  the  community,  they  corresponded  to  our  clergy 
and  leading  religious  laymen,  and  probably  formed  about 
the  same  proportion  of  the  population,  and  exercised  at 
least  as  great  an  influence  as  these  do  among  us.  It  has 
been  estimated  that  they  may  have  numbered  about  six 
thousand.  They  passed  fortiie  best  persons  in  the  country, 
the  conservators  of  respectability  and  orthodoxy;  and  the 


96  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHKIST. 

masses  looked  up  to  them  as  those  who  had  the  right  to 
judge  and  determine  in  all  religious  matters. 

121.  They  can  not  be  accused  of  having  neglected  Jesus. 
They  turned  their  earnest  attention  to  Him  from  the  first. 
They  followed  Him  step  by  step.  They  discussed  His 
doctrines  and  His  claims,  and  made  up  their  minds.  Their 
decision  was  adverse,  and  they  followed  it  up  with  acts, 
never  becoming  remiss  in  their  activity  for  an  hour. 

122.  This  is  perhaps  the  most  solemn  and  appalling 
circumstance  in  the  whole  tragedy  of  the  life  of  Christ, 
that  the  men  who  rejected,  hunted  down,  and  murdered 
Him,  were  those  reputed  the  best  in  the  nation,  its  teachers 
and  examples,  the  zealous  conservators  of  the  Bible  and 
the.  traditions  of  the  past, — men  who  were  eagerly  waiting 
for  the  Messiah,  who  judged  Jesus,  as  they  believed,  accord- 
ing to  the  Scriptures,  and  thought  they  were  obeying  the 
dictates  of  conscience  and  doing  God  service  when  they 
treated  Him  as  they  did.  There  can  not  fail  sometimes  to 
sweep  across  the  mind  of  a  reader  of  the  Gospels  a  strong 
feeling  of  pity  for  them,  and  a  kind  of  sympathy  with 
them.  Jesus  was  so  unlike  the  Messiah  whom  they  were 
looking  for  and  their  fathers  had  taught  them  to  expect! 
He  so  completely  traversed  their  prejudices  and  maxims, 
and  dishonored  so  many  things  which  they  had  been  taught 
to  regard  as  sacred!  They  may  surely  be  pitied;  there 
never  was  a  crime  like  their  crime,  and  there  was  never 
punishment  like  their  punishment.  There  is  the  same  sad- 
ness about  the  fate  of  those  who  are  thrown'  upon  any 
great  crisis  of  the  world's  history,  and,  not  understanding 
the  signs  of  the  times,  make  fatal  mistakes;  as  those  did, 
for  example,  who  at  the  Reformation  were  unable  to  go 
forth  and  join  the  march  of  Providence. 

123.  Yet,  at  bottom,  what  was  their  case  ?  It  was  just 
this,  that  they  were  so  blinded  with  sin  that  they  could  not 


THE    YEAR    OF    OPPOSITION.  97 

discern  the  lio-ht.  Tlieir  views  of  the  Messiah  had  been 
distorted  by  centuries  of  worldliness  and  uiispirituality, 
of  which  they  were  the  like-minded  heirs.  They  thought 
Jesus  a  sinner,  because  He  did  not  conform  to  ordinances 
which  they  and  their  fathers  had  profanely  added  to  those 
of  God's  Word,  and  because  their  conception  of  a  good 
man,  to  whom  He  did  not  answer,  was  utterly  false.  Jesus 
supplied  them  with  evidence  enough,  but  He  could  not 
give  them  eyes  to  see  it.  There  is  a  something  at  the  bot- 
tom of  hearts  that  are  honest  and  true,  which,  however 
long  and  deeply  it  may  have  been  buried  under  prejudice 
and  sin,  leaps  up  with  joy  and  desire  to  embrace  what  is 
true,  what  is  reverend,  what  is  pure  and  great,  when  it 
draws  near.  But  nothing  of  the  kind  was  found  in  them; 
their  hearts  were  seared,  hardened,  and  dead.  They 
brought  their  stock  rules  and  arbitrary  standards  to  judge 
Him  by,  and  were  never  shaken  by  His  greatness  from  the 
fatal  attitude  of  criticism.  He  brought  truth  near  them, 
but  they  had  not  the  truth-loving  ear  to  recognize  the 
enchanting  sound.  He  brought  the  whitest  purity,  such  as 
archangels  would  have  veiled  their  faces  at,  near  them,  but 
the}''  were  not  overawed.  He  brought  near  them  the  very 
face  of  mercy  and  heavenly  love,  but  their  dim  eyes  made 
no  response.  We  may  indeed  pity  the  conduct  of  such 
men  as  an  appalling  misfortune,  but  it  is  better  to  fear  and 
tremble  at  it  as  appalling  guilt.  The  more  utterly  wicked 
men  become,  the  more  inevitable  it  is  that  they  should  sin; 
the  vaster  the  mass  of  a  nation's  sin  becomes,  as  it  rolls 
down  through  the  centuries,  the  more  inevitable  does  some 
awful  national  crime  become.  But  when  the  inevitable 
takes  place,  it  is  an  object  not  tor  pity  ofily,  but  also  for 
holy  and  jealous  wrath. 

124.  One  thing  about  Jesus  which  from  the  first  excited 
their  opposition  to  Him  was  the  hitmbleness  of  His  origin. 
G  5 


98  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

Their  eyes  were  dazzled  with  the  ordinary  prejudices  of 
the  rich  and  the  learned,  and  could  not  discern  the  grandeur 
of  the  soul  apart  from  the  accidents  of  position  and  culture. 
He  was  a  son  of  the  people;  He  had  been  a  carpenter; 
they  believed  He  had  been  born  in  rude  and  wicked  Gali- 
lee; He  had  not  passed  through  the  schools  of  Jerusalem 
or  drunk  at  the  acknowledged  wells  of  wisdom  there.  They 
thought  that  a  prophet,  and  above  all  the  Messiah,  should 
have  been  born  in  Judasa,  reared  at  Jerusalem  in  the  center 
of  culture  and  religion,  and  allied  with  all  that  was  dis- 
tino;uished  and  influential  in  the  nation. 

125.  For  the  same  reason  they  were  offended  with  the 
followers  He  chose  and  the  company  He  kept.  His  chosen 
organs  were  not  selected  from  amono-  themselves,  the  wise 
and  high-born,  but  were  uneducated  laymen,  poor  fisher- 
men. Nay,  one  of  them  was  a  publican.  Nothing  that 
Jesus  did,  perhaps,  gave  greater  offence  than  the  choice  of 
Matthew,  the  tax-gatherer,  to  be  an  apostle.  The  tax- 
gatherers,  as  servants  of  the  alien  power,  were  hated  by  all 
who  were  patriotic  and  respectable,  at  once  for  their  trade, 
their  extortions,  and  their  character.  How  could  .Jesus 
hope  that  respectable  and  learned  men  should  enter  a  circle 
such  as  that  which  He  had  formed  about  Himself?  Besides, 
He  mingled  freely  with  the  lowest  class  of  the  population 
—  with  publicans,  harlots,  and  sinners.  In  Christian  times 
we  have  learned  to  love  Him  for  this  more  than  anything 
else.  We  easily  see  that,  if  He  really  was  the  Savior  from 
sin.  He  could  not  have  been  found  in  more  suitable  com- 
pany than  among  those  who  needed  salvation  most.  We 
know  now  how  He  could  believe  that  many  of  the  lost 
were  more  the  Victims  of  circumstances  than  sinners  by 
choice,  and  that,  if  He  drew  the  magnet  across  the  top  of 
the  rubbish,  it  would  attract  to  itself  many  a  23iece  of 
precious  metal.     The  purest-minded  and  highest-born  have 


THE    YEAR   OF    OPPOSITION.  99 

since  learned  to  follow  His  footsteps  down  into  the  purlieus 
of  squalor  and  vice  to  seek  and  save  the  lost.  But  no 
such  sentiment  had  up  till  His  time  l)een  born  into  the 
world.  The  mass  of  sinners  outside  the  pale  of  respecta- 
bility wei'e  despised  and  hated  as  the  enemies  of  society, 
and  no  efforts  were  made  to  save  them.  On  the  contrary, 
all  who  aimed  at  religious  distinction  avoided  their  very 
touch  as  a  defilement.  Simon  the  Pharisee,  when  he  was 
entertaining  Jesus,  never  doubted  that,  if  He  had  been  a 
prophet  and  known  who  the  woman  was  who  was  touchino- 
Him,  He  would  have  driven  her  off.  Such  was  the  senti- 
ment of  the  time.  Yet  when  Jesus  brought  into  the  world 
the  new  sentiment,  and  showed  them  the  divine  face  of 
mercy,  they  ought  to  have  recognized  it.  If  their  hearts 
had  not  been  utterly  hard  and  cruel,  they  would  have  leapt 
up  to  welcome  this  revelation  of  a  diviner  humanity.  The 
sight  of  sinners  forsaking  their  evil  ways,  of  wicked  women 
sobbing  for  their  lost  lives,  and  extortioners  like  Zaccheus 
becoming  earnest  and  generous,  ought  to  have  delighted 
them.  But  it  did  not,  and  they  only  hated  Jesus  for  His 
compassion,  calling  Him  a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners. 
126.  A  third  and  very  serious  ground  of  their  opposi- 
tion was,  that  He  did  not  Himself  practice,  nor  encourage 
His  disciples  to  practice,  many  ritual  observances,  such  as 
fasts,  punctilious  washing  of  the  hands  before  meals,  and 
so  forth,  which  were  then  considered  the  marks  of  a  saintly 
man.  It  has  been  already  explained  how  these  practices 
arose.  They  had  been  invented  in  an  earnest  but  mechan- 
ical age  in  order  to  emphasize  the  peculiarities  of  Jewish 
character,  and  keep  up  the  separation  of  the  Jews  from 
other  nations.  The  original  intention  was  good,  but  t'he 
result  was  deplorable.  It  was  soon  forgotten  that  they 
were  merely  human  inventions;  they  were  supposed  to  be 
binding  by  divine  action;    and  they  were   multiplied,  till 


100  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

they  regulated  every  hour  of  the  day  and  every  action  of 
life.  They  were  made  the  substitutes  for  real  piety  and 
morality  by  the  majority;  and  to  tender  consciences  they 
were  an  intolerable  burden,  for  it  was  scarcely  possible  to 
move  a  step  or  lift  a  finger  without  the  danger  of  sinning 
against  one  or  other  of  them.  But  no  one  doubted  their 
authority,  and  the  careful  observance  of  them  was  reputed 
the  badge  of  a  godly  life.  Jesus  regarded  them  as  the 
great  evil  of  the  time.  He  therefore  neglected  them,  and 
encouraged  others  to  do  so;  not,  however,  without  at  the 
same  time  leading  them  back  to  the  great  principles  of 
judgment,  mercy,  and  faith,  and  making  them  feel  the 
majesty  of  the  conscience  and  the  depth  and  spirituality  of 
the  law.  But  the  result  was,  that  He  was  looked  upon  as 
both  an  ungodly  man  Himself,  and  a  deceiver  of  the 
people, 

127.  It  was  especially  in  regard  to  the  Sabbath  that 
this  difference  between  Him  and  the  religious  teachers 
came  out.  In  this  field  their  inventions  of  restrictions  and 
arbitrary  rules  had  run  into  the  most  portentous  extrava- 
gance, till  they  had  changed  the  day  of  rest,  joy,  and  bles- 
sing into  an  intolerable  burden.  He  was  in  the  habit  of 
performing  His  cures  on  the  Sabbath.  They  thought  such 
work  a  breach  of  the  command.  He  exposed  the  wrong- 
ness  of  their  objections  again  and  again,  by  explaining  the 
nature  of  the  institution  itself  as  "  made  for  man,"  by  re- 
ference to  the  practice  of  ancient  saints,  and  even  by  the 
analogy  of  some  of  their  own  practices  on  the  holy  day. 
But  they  were  not  convinced;  and,  as  He  continued  His 
practice  in  spite  of  their  objections,  this  remained  a  stand- 
ing and  bitter  ground  of  their  hate. 

128.  It  will  be  easily  understood  that,  having  arrived  at 
these  conclusions  on  such  low  grounds,  they  were  utterly 
disinclined  to  listen   to  Him   when   He   put  forward  His 


THE   YEAR   OP   OPPOSITION.  lOl 

hiorher  claims  —  when  He  announced  Himself  as  the  Mes- 
siah,  professed  to  forgive  sins,  and  threw  out  intimations  of 
His  hio-h  relation  to  God.  Havino^  concluded  that  He  was 
an  impostor  and  deceiver,  they  regarded  such  assertions  as 
hideous  blasphemies,  and  could  not  help  wishing  to  stop  the 
mouth  which  uttered  them. 

129.  It  may  be  wondered  at,  that  they  were  not  con- 
vinced by  His  miracles.  If  He  really  performed  the  nu- 
merous and  stupendous  miracles  which  are  recorded  of 
Him,  how  could  they  resist  such  evidence  of  His  divine 
mission?  The  debate  held  with  the  authorities  by  the 
tough  reasoner  whom  Jesus  cured  of  blindness,  and  whose 
case  is  recorded  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  John,  shows  how 
sorely  they  may  sometimes  have  been  pressed  with  such 
reasoninof  But  thev  had  satisfied  themselves  with  an  au- 
dacious  reply  to  it.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  among  the 
.lews  miracles  had  never  been  looked  upon  as  conclusive 
proofs  of  a  divine  mission.  They  might  be  wrought  by 
false  as  well  as  true  prophets.  They  might  be  traceable  to 
diabolical  instead  of  divine  agency.  Whether  they  were 
so  or  not,  was  to»be  determined  on  other  grounds.  On 
these  other  grounds  they  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
He  had  not  been  sent  from  God;  and  so  they  attributed 
His  miracles  to  an  alliance  with  the  powers  of  darkness. 
Jesus  met  this  blasphemous  construction  with  the  utmost 
force  of  holy  indignation  and  conclusive  argument;  but  it 
is  easy  to  see  that  it  was  a  position  in  which  minds  like 
those  of  His  opponents  might  entrench  themselves  with 
the  sense  of  much  security. 

130.  Very  early  they  had  formed  their  adverse  judg- 
ment of  Him,  and  they  never  changed  it.  Even  during 
His  first  year  in  Judasa  they  had  pretty  well  decided 
against  Him.     When   the   news  of  His  success  in  Galilee 


102  THE    LIFE    OP   JESUS    CHRIST. 

spread,  it  filled  them  with  consternation,  and  they  sent 
deputations  from  Jerusalem  to  act  in  concert  with  their 
local  adherents  in  opposing  Him.  Even  during  His  year 
of  joy  He  clashed  with  them  again  and  again.  At  first  He 
treated  them  with  consideration  and  appealed  to  their 
reason  and  heart.  But  He  soon  saw  that  this  was  hopeless 
and  accepted  their  opposition  as  inevitable.  He  exposed 
the  hollowness  of  their  pretensions  to  His  audiences  and 
warned  His  disciples  against  them.  Meanwhile  they  did 
everything  to  poison  the  public  mind  against  Him.  They 
succeeded  only  too  well.  When,  at  the  year's  end,  the 
tide  of  His  popularity  began  to  recede,  they  pressed  their 
advantage,  assailing  Him  more  and  more  boldly. 

131.  They  even  succeeded  thus  early  in  arousing  the 
cold  minds  of  the  Sadducees  and  Herodians  against  Him, 
no  doubt  by  persuading  them  that  He  was  fomenting  a 
popular  revolt,  which  would  endanger  the  throne  of  their 
master  Herod,  who  reigned  over  Galilee.  That  mean  and 
characterless  prince  himself  also  became  His  persecutor. 
He  had  other  reasons  to  dread  Him  besides  those  suggested 
by  his  courtiers.  About  this  very  time*  he  had  murdered 
John  the  Baptist.  It  was  one  of  the  meanest  and  foulest 
crimes  recorded  in  history,  an  awful  instance  of  the  way  in 
which  sin  leads  to  sin,  and  of  the  malicious  perseverance 
with  which  a  wicked  woman  will  compass  her  revenge. 
Soon  after  it  was  committed,  his  courtiers  came  to  tell  him 
of  the  supposed  political  designs  of  Jesus.  But  when  he 
heard  of  the  new  prophet,  an  awful  thought  thrilled  through 
his  guilty  conscience.  "It  is  John  the  Baptist,"  he  cried, 
"whom  I  beheaded;  he  is  risen  from  the  dead."  Yet  he 
desired  to  see  Him,  his  curiosity  getting  the  better  of  his 
terror.  It  was  the  desire  of  the  lion  to  see  the  lamb. 
Jesus  never  responded  to  his  invitation.  But  just  on  that 
account  Herod  mav  have  been  the  more  willino-  to  listen  to 


tHE    YEAR    OF    OPPOSITION'.  103 

the  suggestions  of  his  courtiers  that  he  should  arrest  Him 
as  a  dangerous  person.  It  was  not  long  before  he  was 
seeking  to  kill  Him.  Jesus  had  to  keep  out  of  his  way, 
and  no  doubt  this  helped  along  with  more  important  things 
to  chancre  the  character  of  His  life  in  Galilee  durino-  the 
last  six  months  of  His  stay  there. 

132„  It  had  seemed  for  a  time  as  if  His  hold  on  the 
mind  and  the  heart  of  the  common  people  might  become 
so  strong  as  to  carry  irresistibly  a  national  recognition. 
Many  a  movement,  frowned  upon  at  first  by  authorities  and 
dignitaries,  has,  by  committing  itself  to  the  lower  classes 
and  securing  their  enthusiastic  acknowledgment,  risen  to 
take  possession  of  the  upper  classes  and  carry  the  centers 
of  influence.  There  is  a  certain  point  of  national  consent 
at  which  any  movement  which  reaches  it  becomes  like  a 
flood,  which  no  amount  of  prejudice  or  official  dislike  can 
successfully  oppose.  Jesus  gave  Himself  to  the  common 
people  of  Galilee,  and  they  gave  Him  in  return  their  love 
and  admiration.  Instead  of  hating  Him  like  the  Pharisees 
and  scribes,  and  calling  Him  a  glutton  and  a  wine-bibber, 
they  believed  Him  a  prophet;  they  compared  Him  with  the 
very  greatest  figures  of  the  past,  and  many,  according  as 
they  were  more  struck  with  the  sublime  or  with  the  melt- 
ing side  of  His  teaching,  said  He  was  Isaiah  or  Jeremiah 
risen  from  the  dead.  It  was  a  common  idea  of  the  time 
that  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  was  to  be  preceded  by  the 
rising  again  of  some  prophet.  The  one  most  commonly 
thought  of  was  Elijah.  Accordingly  some  took  Jesus  for 
Elijah.  But  it  was  only  a  precursor  of  the  Messiah  they 
supposed  Him  to  be,  not  the  Messiah  Himself.  He  was 
not  at  all  like  their  conception  of  the  coming  Deliverer, 
which  was  of  the  most  grossly  material  kind.  Now  and 
then,  indeed,  after  "Me  h^d  wrought  some  unusually  striking 


104  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

miracle,  there  might  be  raised  a  single  voice  or  a  few 
voices,  suggesting.  Is  this  not  He?  But,  wonderful  as 
were  His  deeds  and  His  words,  yet  the  whole  aspect  of  His 
life  was  so  unlike  their  preconceptions,  that  the  truth  failed 
to  suggest  itself  forcibly  and  universally  to  their  minds. 

133.  At  last,  however,  the  decisive  hour  seemed  to  have 
arrived.  It  was  just  at  that  great  turning-point  to  which 
allusion  has  frequently  been  made — the  end  of  the  twelve 
months  in  Galilee.  Jesus  had  heard  of  the  Baptist's  death, 
and  immediately  hurried  away  into  a  desert  place  with  His 
disciples,  to  brood  and  talk  over  the  tragic  event.  He 
sailed  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  lake,  and,  lafiding  on  the 
grassy  plain  of  Bethsaida,  went  up  to  a  hill  with  the  Twelve. 
But  soon  at  its  feet  there  gcathered  an  immense  multitude 
to  hear  and  see  Him.  They  had  found  out  where  He  was, 
and  gathered  to  Him  from  every  quarter.  Ever  ready 
to  sacrifice  Himself  for  others.  He  descended  to  address 
and  heal  them.  The  evening  came  on,  as  His  discourse 
prolonged  itself,  when,  moved  with  a  great  access  of  com- 
passion for  the  helpless  multitude,  He  wrought  the  stupen- 
dous miracle  of  feedino-  the  five  thousand.  Its  effect  was 
overwhelming.  They  became  instantaneously  convinced 
that  this  was  none  other  than  the  Messiah,  and,  having 
only  one  conception  of  what  this  meant,  they  endeavored 
to  take  Him  by  force  and  make  Him  a  king;  that  is,  to 
force  Him  to  become  the  leader  of  a  Messianic  revolt,  by 
which  they  might  wrest  the  throne  from  Cagsar  and  the 
princelings  he  had  set  up  over  the  different  provinces. 

134.  It  seemed  the  crowning-  hour  of  success.  But  to 
Jesus  Himself  it  was  an  hour  of  sad  and  bitter  shame. 
This  was  all  that  His  year's  work  had  come  to!  This  was 
the  conception  they  yet  had  of  Him!  And  they  were  to 
determine  the  course  of  His  future  action,  instead  of  hum- 
bly asking  what  He  would  have  them  to  do!     He  accepted 


THE    YEAR    OF    OPPOSITION.  105 

it  as  the  decisive  indication  of  the  effect  of  His  work  in 
Galilee.  He  saw  how  shallow  were  its  results.  Galilee 
had  judged  itself  unworthy  of  being  the  center  from  which 
His  kino-doin  mig-ht  extend  itself  to  the  rest  of  the  land. 
He  fled  from  their  carnal  desires,  and  the  very  next  day, 
meeting  them  again  at  Capernaum,  He  told  them  how 
much  they  had  been  mistaken  in  Him;  they  were  looking 
for  a  Bread-king,  who  would  give  them  idleness  and  plenty, 
mountains  of  loaves,  rivers  of  milk,  every  comfort  without 
labor.  What  He  had  to  give  was  the  bread  of  eternal 
life. 

135.  His  discourse  was  like  a  stream  of  cold  water 
directed  upon  the  fiery  enthusiasm  of  the  crowd.  From 
that  hour  His  cause  in  Galilee  was  doomed;  "many  of  His 
disciples  went  back  and  walked  no  more  with  Him."  It 
was  what  He  intended.  It  was  Himself  who  struck  the 
fatal  blow  at  His  popularity.  He  resolved  to  devote  Him- 
self thenceforward  to  the  few  who  really  understood  Him 
and  were  capable  of  being  the  adherents  of  a  spiritual 
enterprise. 

136.  The  Changed  Aspect  of  His  Ministry.— Y^t^  although 
the  people  of  Galilee  at  large  had  shown  themselves 
unworthy  of  Him,  there  was  a  considerable  remnant  that 
proved  true.  At  the  center  of  it  were  the  apostles;  but 
there  were  also  others,  to  the  number  probably  of  several 
hundreds.  These  now  became  the  objects  of  His  special 
care.  He  had  saved  them  as  brands  plucked  from  the 
burning,  when  Galilee  as  a  whole  deserted  Him.  For 
them  it  must  have  been  a  time  of  crucial  trial.  Their 
views  were  to  a  large  extent  those  of  the  populace.  They 
also  expected  a  Messiah  of  worldly  splendor.  They  had 
indeed  learned  to  include  deeper  and  more  spiritual  ele- 
ments in  their   conception,  but,  along  with  these,  it  still 


106  THE   LII'E   OF   JESUS   CHRIST. 

contained  the  traditional  and  material  ones.  It  must  have 
been  a  painful  mystery  to  them  that  Jesus  should  so  long 
delay  the  assumption  of  the  crown.  So  painful  had  this 
been  to  the  Baptist  in  his  lonely  prison,  that  he  began  to 
doubt  whether  the  vision  he  had  seen  on  the  bank  of  the 
Jordan  and  the  great  convictions  of  his  life  had  not  been 
delusions,  and  sent  to  ask  Jesus  if  He  really  was  the  Christ. 
The  Baptist's  death  must  have  been  an  awful  shock  to 
them.  If  Jesus  was  the  Mighty  One  they  thought  Him, 
how  could  He  alllow  His  friend  to  come  to  such  an  end? 
Still  they  held  on  to  Him.  They  showed  what  it  was  which 
kept  them  by  their  answer  to  Him,  when,  after  the  disper- 
sion which  followed  the  discourse  at  Capernaum,  He  put 
to  them  the  sad  question,  "  Will  ye  also  go  away?"  They 
replied,  "  liOrd,  to  whom  shall  we  go?  Thou  hast  the 
words  of  eternal  life."  Their  opinions  were  not  clear; 
they  were  in  a  mist  of  perplexities;  but  they  knew  that 
from  Him  they  were  getting  eternal  life.  This  held  them 
close  to  Him,  and  made  them  willing  to  wait  till  He  should 
make  things  clear. 

137.  During  the  last  six  months  He  spent  in  Galilee, 
He  abandoned  to  a  large  extent  His  old  work  of  preaching 
and  miracle-working,  and  devoted  Himself  to  the  instruc- 
tion of  these  adherents.  He  made  long  circuits  with  them 
in  the  most  distant  parts  of  the  province,  avoiding  publicity 
as  much  as  possible.  Thus  we  find  Him  at  Tyre  and  Sidon, 
far  to  the  north-west;  at  Ctesarea-Philippi,  on  the  far  north- 
east; and  in  Decapolis,  to  the  south  and  east  of  the  lake. 
These  journeys,  or  rather  flights,  were  due  partly  to  the 
bitter  opposition  of  the  Pharisees,  partly  to  fear  of  Herod, 
but  chiefly  to  the  desire  to  be  alone  with  His  disciples. 
The  precious  result  of  them  was  seen  in  an  incident  which 
happened  at  C?esarea-Philippi.  Jesus  began  to  ask  His 
disciples  what  were  the  popular  views  about  Himself,  and 


THE    YEAR    OP    OPPOSITION.  107 

they  told  Him  the  various  conjectures  whi^*/  were  flying 
about, — that  He  was  a  prophet,  that  He  was  Elias,  that  He 
was  John  the  Baptist,  and  so  on.  "  But  whom  say  ye  that 
I  am?"  He  asked;  and  Peter  answered  for  them  all,  "  Thou 
art  tlie  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  This  was  the 
deliberate  and  decisive  conviction  by  which  they  were 
determined  to  abide,  whatever  might  come.  Jesus  received 
the  confession  with  great  joy,  and  at  once  recognized  in 
those  who  had  made  it  the  nucleus  of  the  future  Church, 
which  was  to  be  built  on  the  truth  to  which  they  had  given 
expression. 

138.  But  this  attainment  only  prepared  them  for  a 
new  trial  of  faith.  From  that  time,  we  are  told.  He  began 
to  inform  them  of  His  approaching  sufferings  and  death. 
These  now  stood  out  clearly  before  His  own  mind  as  the 
only  issue  of  His  career  to  be  looked  for.  He  had  hinted 
as  much  to  them  before,  but,  with  that  delicate  and  loving 
consideration  which  alwavs  graduated  His  teachino-  to  their 
capacity,. He  did  not  refer  to  it  often.  But  now  they  were 
in  some  degree  able  to  bear  it;  and,  as  it  was  inevitable 
and  near  at  hand.  He  kept  insisting  on  it  constantly.  But 
they  themselves  tell  us  they  did  not  in  the  least  understand 
Him.  In  common  with  all  their  countrymen,  they  expected 
a  Messiah  who  should  sit  on  the  throne  of  David,  and  of 
whose  reign  there  should  be  no  end.  They  believed  Jesus 
was  this  Messiah;  and  it  was  to  them  utterly  incomprehen- 
sible that,  instead  of  reigning.  He  should  be  killed  on  His 
arrival  in  Jerusalem.  They  listened  to  Him,  they  discussed 
His  words  among  themselves,  but  they  regarded  their 
apparent  meaning  as  a  wild  impossibility.  They  thought 
He  was  only  using  one  of  the  parabolic  sayings  of  which 
He  was  so  fond.  His  real  meaning  being  that  the  present 
lowly  form  of  His  work  was  to  die  and  disappear,  and  His 
cause  rise,  as  it  were,  out  of  the  grave  in  a  glorious  and 


108  THE   LIFE    OP   JESUS    CHRIST. 

triumphant  shape.  He  endeavored  to  undeceive  them, 
going  more  and  more  minutely  into  the  details  of  His 
approaching  sufferings.  But  their  minds  could  not  take 
the  truth  in.  How  completely  even  the  best  of  them 
failed  to  do  so  is  shown  by  the  frequent  wranglings  among 
them  at  this  period  as  to  which  of  them  should  in  the 
approaching  kingdom  be  the  greatest,  and  by  the  request 
of  Salome  for  her  sons,  that  they  should  sit  the  one  on  the 
right  and  the  other  on  the  left  hand  in  His  kingdom.  W.hen 
they  left  Galilee  and  went  up  towards  Jerusalem,  it  was 
with  the  conviction  that  "  the  kingdom  of  God  should 
immediately  appear," — that  is,  that  Jesus,  on  arriving  in 
the  capital,  would  throw  off  the  guise  of  humiliation  He 
had  hitherto  worn,  and,  overcoming  all  opposition  by  some 
forthputting  of  His  concealed  glory,  take  His  place  on  the 
throne  of  His  fathers. 

139.  What  were  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  Jesus 
Himself  during  this  year?  To  Him  also  it  was  a  year  of 
sore  trial.  Now  for  the  first  time  the  deep  lines  of  care 
and  pain  were  traced  upon  His  face.  During  the  tw^elve- 
month  of  successful  work  in  Galilee,  He  was  borne  up 
with  the  joy  of  sustained  achievement.  But  now  He  be- 
came, in  the  truest  sense,  the  Man  of  Sorrows.  Behind 
Him  was  His  rejection  by  Galilee.  The  sorrow  which  He 
felt  at  seeing  the  ground  on  which  He  had  bestowed  so 
much  labor  turning  out  barren,  is  to  be  measured  only  by 
the  greatness  of  His  love  to  the  souls  He  sought  to  save, 
and  the  depth  of  His  devotion  to  His  work.  In  front  of 
Him  was  His  rejection  at  Jerusalem.  That  was  now  cer- 
tain; it  rose  up  and  stood  out  constantly  and  unmistakably, 
meeting  His  eyes  as  often  as  He  turned  them  to  the  future. 
It  absorbed  His  thoughts.     It  was  a  terrible  prospect;  and, 


THE    YEAR    OF    OPPOSITION.  100 

now  that  it  drew  nigh,  it  sometimes  shook  His  soul  with  a 
conflict  of  feelings  which  we  scarcely  dare  to  picture  to 
ourselves. 

140.  He  was  very  much  in  prayer.  This  had  all  along 
been  His  delight  and  resource.  In  His  busiest  period, 
when  He  was  often  so  tired  with  the  labors  of  the  day  that 
at  the  approach  of  evening  He  was  ready  to  fling  Himself 
down  in  utter  fatigue.  He  would  nevertheless  escape  away 
from  the  crowds  and  His  disciples  to  the  mountain-top,  and 
spend  the  whole  night  in  lonely  communion  with  His 
Father.  He  never  took  any  important  step  without  such  a 
night.  But  now  He  was  far  oftener  alone  than  ever  before, 
setting  forth  His  case  to  His  God  with  strong  crying  and 
tears. 

141.  His  prayers  received  a  splendid  answer  in  the 
Transfiguration.  That  glorious  scene  took  place  in  the 
middle  of  the  year  of  opposition,  just  before  He  quitted 
Galilee  and  set  forth  on  the  journey  of  doom.  It  was  in- 
tended partly  for  the  sake  of  the  three  disciples  who  accom- 
panied Him  to  the  mountain-top,  to  strengthen  their  faith 
and  make  them  fit  to  strengthen  their  brethren.  But  it  was 
chiefly  intended  for  Himself.  It  was  a  great  gift  of  His 
Father,  an  acknowledgment  of  His  faithfulness  up  to  this 
point,  and  a  preparation  for  what  lay  before  Him.  It  was 
about  the  decease  He  was  to  accomplish  at  Jerusalem  He 
conversed  wuth  His  great  predecessors,  Moses  and  EliaSf 
who  could  thoroughly  sympathize  with  Him,  and  whose 
work  His  death  was  to  fulfill. 

142.  Immediately  after  this  event  He  left  Galilee  and 
went  south.  He  spent  six  months  on  His  way  to  Jerusalem. 
It  was  part  of  His  mission  to  preach  tlie  kingdom  over  the 
whole  land,  and  He  did  so.  He  sent  seventy  of  His  disci- 
ples on  before   Him  to  prepare  the  villages  and  towns  to 


110  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

receive  Him.  Again  in  this  new  field  the  same  manifesta- 
tions as  Galilee  had  witnessed  during  the  first  months 
of  His  labors  there  showed  themselves, — the  multitudes 
following  Him,  the  wonderful  cures,  and  so  forth.  We 
have  not  records  of  this  period  sufficient  to  enable  us  to 
follow  Him  step  by  step.  We  find  Him  on  the  borders 
of  Samaria,  in  Per^ea,  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  in  Beth- 
any, in  the  village  of  Ephraim.  But  Jerusalem  was  His 
goal.  His  face  was  set  like  a  flint  for  it.  Sometimes  He 
was  so  absorbed  in  the  anticipation  of  what  was  to  befall 
Him  there,  that  His  disciples,  following  His  swift,  mute 
figure  along  the  highway,  were  amazed  and  afraid.  Now 
and  then,  indeed.  He  would  relax  for  a  little,  as  when  He 
was  blessino-  the  little  children  or  visitinor  the  home  of  His 
friends  at  Bethany.  But  His  mood  at  this  period  was  more 
stern,  absorbed,  and  highly  strung  than  ever  before.  His 
contests  with  His  enemies  were  sharper,  the  conditions 
which  He  imposed  on  those  who  off"ered  to  be  His  disciples 
more  stringent.  Everything  denoted  that  the  end  was 
drawing  near.  He  was  in  the  grip  of  His  grand  purpose 
of  atoning  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  and  His  soul  was 
straitened  till  it  should  be  accomplis^ied. 

143.  The  catastrophe  drew  nigh  apace.  He  paid  two 
brief  visits  to  Jerusalem,  before  the  final  one,  during  His 
last  six  months.  On  both  occasions  the  opposition  of  the 
authorities  assumed  the  most  menacing  form.  They  en- 
deavored to  arrest  Him  on  the  first  occasion,  and  took  up 
stones  to  stone  Him  on  the  second.  They  had  already 
issued  a  decree  that  any  one  acknowledging  Him  to  be  the 
Messiah  should  be  excommunicated.  But  it  was  the  ex- 
citement produced  in  the  popular  mind  by  the  raising  of 
Lazarus  at  the  verv  o-ates  of  the  ecclesiastical  citadel  which 
finally  convinced  the  authorities  that  they  could  not  satisfy 


THE    YEAR    OF    OPPOSITION.  Ill 

themselves  with  anything  short  of  His  death.  So  they  re- 
solved in  council.  This  took  place  only  a  month  or  two 
before  the  end  came,  and  it  drove  Him  for  the  time  from 
the  neighborhood  of  Jerusalem.  But  He  retired  only  until 
the  hour  which  His  Father  had  appointed  Him  should 
strike. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  END. 

Paragraphs  144-205. 

144.  The  Passover. 

145-152.  The  Final  Breach  with  the  Nation. 

145.  His  Arrival  in  Bethany  ;  146-149.  The  Tri- 
umphal Entry  into  Jerusalem ;  150.  The  Great 
Day  of  Controversy ;  151,152.    Judas  Iscariot. 

153-162.  Jesus  in  Presence  of  Death. 

153,  154.  Multitude  of  His  Thoughts  ;  155.  Pros- 
pect of  Death,  Visit  of  Greeks;  156.  Com- 
passion for  His  Country;  157, 158.  Loneliness; 
159.  The  Consolation  of  Prayer;  360.  In  the 
Upper  Room;  161,  162.     Gethsemane. 

163-189.  The  Trial. 

164,  165.  Double  Trial ;  Reason  of  This. 
166-173.  Ecclesiastical  Trial— 

166.  Before  Annas;  167-171.   Before  Caiaphas, 
Condemnation  for  Blasphemy;  172.     Irregu- 
larity; 173.     Mockery  of  Jesus. 
174-189.  Civil  Trial— 

174-180.  Before  Pilate  for  the  First  Time— 
174-176.  Procession  to  the    Palace  ;    177. 
The  Case  must  be  pled;  178.     Civil 
Charges;  179.   "  What  is  Truth ?"  180. 
He  is  pronounced  innocent. 
181.  Before  Herod. 
182-189.  Before  Pilate  again— 

182.  Pilate's  Diplomacy  ;  183.  Barabbas; 
184.  Scourginic  ;  185.  "  Ecce  Homo  ;  " 
186.  Pilate's  Religious  Dread ;  187.  Threat 
to  complain  to  the  Emperor;  188.  Pilate 
gives  way;  189.  The  Jews  surrender  their 
History. 

190-198.  The  Crucifixion. 

191.  The  Crowd;  192.  Calvary;  193.  Horrors  of 
this  Form  of  Death;  194.  His  Triumph  over 
them;  195.  His  Mental  Sufferings ;  196.  Bear- 
ing the  Sin  of  the  World  ;  197.  Darkness ; 
198.     Last  Words. 

199-205.  The  Resurrection  and  Ascension. 

199.  Christianity  Dead;  201,  202.  Breakdown  of 
Disciples;  203.  Resurrection  of  Christianity; 
204.    The  Risen  One ;  205.    The  Ascension. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE   END. 

144.  At  length  the  third  year  of  His  ministry  verged 
towards  its  close,  and  the  revolving  seasons  brought  round 
the  great  annual  feast  of  the  Passover.  It  is  said  that  as 
many  as  two  or  three  millions  of  strangers  were  gathered 
in  Jerusalem  on  such  an  occasion.  They  not  only  flocked 
from  every  part  of  Palestine,  but  came  over  sea  and  land 
from  all  the  countries  in  which  the  seed  of  Abraham  were 
dispersed,  in  order  to  celebrate  the  event  in  which  their 
national  history  began.  They  were  brought  together  by 
very  various  motives.  Some  came  with  the  solemn  thoughts 
and  deep  religious  joy  of  minds  responsive  to  the  memor- 
ies of  the  venerable  occasion.  Some  looked  forward 
chiefly  to  reunion  with  relatives  and  friends  who  had  been 
long  parted  from  them  by  residence  in  distant  places.  Not 
a  few  of  the  baser  sort  brought  with  them  the  darling  pas- 
sions of  their  race,  and  were  chiefly  intent  on  achieving  in 
so  great  a  concourse  some  important  stroke  of  business. 
But  this  year  the  minds  of  tens  of  thousands  were  full  of 
an  unusual  excitement,  and  they  came  up  to  the  capital  ex- 
pecting to  see  something  more  remarkable  than  they  had 
ever  witnessed  there  before.  They  hoped  to  see  Jesus  at 
the  feast,  and  entertained  many  vague  forebodings  as  to 
what  might  happen  in  connection  with  Him.  His  name 
was  the  word  often  est  passing  from  mouth  to  mouth  among 
the  pilgrim  bands  that  crowded  along  the  highways,  and 
among  the  Jewish  groups  that  talked  together  on  the  decks 
n       5*  113 


114  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

of  the  ships  coming  from  Asia  Minor  and  Egypt.  Nearly 
all  His  own  disciples  no  doubt  were  there,  and  were  ar- 
dently cherishing  the  hope  that  at  last  in  this  concourse  of 
the  nation  He  would  throw  off  the  guise  of  humility  which 
concealed  His  glory,  and  in  some  irresistible  way  demon- 
strate His  Messiahship.  There  must  have  been  thousands 
from  the  southern  portions  of  the  country,  in  which  He  had 
recently  been  spending  His  time,  who  came  full  of  the 
same  enthusiastic  views  about  Him  as  were  entertained  in 
Galilee  at  the  close  of  His  first  year  there;  and  no  doubt 
there  were  multitudes  of  the  Galileans  themselves  who 
were  favorably  disposed  towards  Him  and  ready  to  take  the 
deepest  interest  in  any  new  development  of  His  affairs. 
Tens  of  thousands  from  more  distant  parts,  who  had  heard 
of  Him,  but  never  seen  Him,  arrived  in  the  capital  in  the 
hope  that  He  might  be  there,  and  that  they  might  enjoy 
the  opportunity  of  seeing  a  miracle  or  listening  to  the 
words  of  the  new  prophet.  The  authorities  in  Jerusalem, 
too,  awaited  His  coming  with  very  mingled  feelings.  They 
hoped  that  some  turn  of  events  might  give  them  the  chance 
of  at  last  suppressing  Him;  but  they  could  not  help  fear- 
ing that  He  might  appear  at  the  head  of  a  provincial  fol- 
lowing which  would  place  them  at  His  mercy. 

145.  The  Final  Breach  with  the  Nation.  —  Six  days  be- 
fore the  Passover  began.  He  arrived  in  Bethany,  the  village 
of  His  friends  Martha,  Mary,  and  Lazarus,  which  lay  half- 
an-hour  from  the  city  on  the  other  side  of  the  summit  of 
the  Mount  of  Olives.  It  was  a  convenient  place  to  lodge 
during  the  feast,  and  He  took  up  His  quarters  with  His 
friends.  The  solemnities  were  to  begin  on  a  Thursday,  so 
that  it  was  on  the  previous  Friday  He  arrived  there.  He 
had  been  accompanied  the  last  twenty  miles  of  His  journey 
by  an  immense  multitude  of  the  pilgrims,  to  whom  He  was 


THE    END.  115 

the  center  of  interest.  They  had  seen  Him  healing  blind 
Bartim.'eus  at  Jericho,  and  the  miracle  had  produced  among 
them  extraordinary  excitement.  When  they  reached  Beth- 
any, the  village  was  ringing  with  the  recent  resurrection  of 
Lazarus,  and  they  carried  on  the  news  to  the  crowds  who 
had  already  arrived  from  all  quarters  in  Jerusalem,  that 
Jesus  had  come. 

146.  Accordingl}^,  when,' after  resting  over  the  Sabbath 
in  Bethany,  He  came  forth  on  the  Sunday  morning  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  city.  He  found  the  streets  of  the  village  and 
the  neighboring  roads  thronged  with  a  vast  crowd,  consist- 
ing partly  of  those  who  had  accompanied  Him  on  the 
Friday,  partly  of  other  companies  who  had  come  up  behind 
Him  from  .Tericho  and  heard  of  the  miracles  as  they  came 
along,  and  partly  of  those  who,  having  heard  that  He  was 
at  hand,  had  flocked  out  from  Jerusalem  to  see  Him.  They 
welcomed  Him  with  enthusiasm,  and  began  to  shout 
"Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David!  Blessed  is  He  that  com- 
eth  in  the  name  of  the  Lord!  Hosanna  in  the  highest !"  It 
was  a  Messianic  demonstration  such  as  He  had  formerly 
avoided.  But  now  He  yielded  to  it.  Probably  He  was 
satisfied  with  the  sincerity  of  the  homage  paid  to  Him; 
and  the  hour  had  come  when  no  considerations  could  per- 
mit Him  any  longer  to  conceal  from  the  nation  the  charac- 
ter in  which  He  presented  Himself  and  the  claim  He  made 
on  its  faith.  But,  in  yielding  to  the  desires  of  the  multi- 
tude that  He  should  assume  the  style  of  a  king.  He  made 
it  unmistakable  in  what  sense  He  accepted  the  honor.  He 
sent  for  an  ass-colt,  and.  His  disciples  having  spread  their 
garments  on  it,  rode  at  the  head  of  the  crowd.  Not  armed 
to  the  teeth  or  bestriding  a  war-horse  did  He  come,  but  as 
the  King  of  simplicity  and  peace.  The  procession  swept 
over  the  brow  of  Olivet  and  down  the  mountain-side;  it 
crossed  tiie  Kcdron,  and,  mounting  the  slope  which  led  to 


116  THE    LIFE    OP    JESUS    CHRIST. 

the  gate  of  the  city,  passed  on  through  the  streets  to  the 
temple.  It  swelled  as  it  went,  great  numbers  hurrying 
from  every  quarter  to  join  it;  the  shouts  rang  louder  and 
more  loud;  the  processionists  broke  off  twigs  from  the 
palms  and  olives,  as  they  passed,  and  waved  them  in  tri- 
umph. The  citizens  of  Jerusalem  ran  to  their  doors  and 
bent  over  their  balconies  to  look,  and  asked,  "  Who  is  this?" 
to  which  the  processionists  replied  with  provincial  pride, 
"This  is  Jesus,  the  prophet  of  Nazareth."  It  was,  in  fact 
an  entirely  provincial  demonstration.  The  Jerusalemites 
took  no  part  in  it,  but  held  coldly  aloof.  The  authorities 
knew  only  too  well  what  it  meant,  and  beheld  it  with  rage 
and  dread.  They  came  to  Jesus,  and  ordered  Him  to  bid 
His  followers  hold  their  peace,  hinting  no  doubt  that,  if  He 
did  not  do  so,  the  Roman  garrison,  which  was  stationed  in 
the  immediate  vicinity,  would  pounce  on  Him  and  them, 
and  punish  the  city  for  an  act  of  treason  to  Caesar. 

147.  There  is  no  point  in  the  life  of  Jesus  at  which  we 
are  more  urged  to  ask.  What  would  have  happened  if  His 
claim  had  been  conceded  —  if  the  citizens  of  Jerusalem 
had  been  carried  away  with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  provin- 
cials, and  the  prejudices  of  priests  and  scribes  had  been 
borne  down  before  the  torrent  of  public  approval?  Would 
Jesus  have  put  Himself  at  the  head  of  the  nation  and  in- 
augurated an  era  of  the  world's  history  totally  different 
from  that  which  followed?  These  questions  very  soon  carry 
us  beyond  our  de23th,  yet  no  intelligent  reader  of  the  Gos- 
pels can  help  asking  them. 

148.  Jesus  had  formally  made  offer  of  Himself  to  the 
capital  and  the  authorities  of  the  nation,  but  met  with  no 
response.  The  provincial  recognition  of  His  claims  was 
insufficient  to  carry  a  national  assent.  He  accepted  the 
decision  as  final.  The  multitude  expected  a  signal  from 
Him,  and  in  their  excited  mood  would  have  obeyed  it,  what- 


ever  it  might  have  been.  But  He  gave  them  none,  and, 
after  looking  round  about  Him  for  a  little  in  the  temple, 
left  them   and   returned  to   Bethan^^ 

149.  Doubtless  the  disappointment  of  the  multitude  was 
extreme,  and  an  opportunity  was  offered  to  the  authorities 
which  they  did  not  fail  to  make  use  of.  The  Pharisees 
needed  no  stimulus;  but  even  the  Sadducees,  those  cold  and 
haughty  friends  of  order,  espied  danger  to  the  public  peace 
in  the  state  of  the  popular  mind,  and  leagued  themselves 
with  their  bitter  enemies  in  the  resolution  to  suppress  Him. 

150.  On  Monday  and  Tuesday  He  appeared  again  in 
the  city  and  engaged  in  His  old  work  of  healing  and  teach- 
ing. But  on  the  second  of  these  days  the  authorities  inter- 
posed. Pharisees,  Sadducees,  and  Herodians,  high  priests, 
priests,  and  scribes  were  for  once  combined  in  a  common 
cause.  They  came  to  Him,  as  He  taught  in  the  temple, 
and  demanded  by  what  authority  He  did  such  things.  In 
all  the  pomp  of  official  costume,  of  social  pride  and  popu- 
lar renown,  they  set  themselves  against  the  simple  Galilean, 
while  the  multitudes  looked  on.  They  entered  into  a  keen 
and  prolonged  controversy  with  Him  on  points  selected 
beforehand,  putting  forward  their  champions  of  debate  to 
ertangle  Him  in  His  talk,  their  distinct  object  ^eing,  either 
to  discredit  Him  with  the  audience  or  to  elicit  something 
from  His  lips  in  the  heat  of  argument  which  might  form  a 
groundof  accusation  against  Him  before  the  civil  authority. 
Thus,  for  example,  they  asked  Him  if  it  was  lawful  to  give 
tribute  to  Cassar.  If  He  answered  Yes,  they  knew  that 
His  popularity  would  perish  on  the  instant,  for  it  would  be 
a  complete  contradiction  of  the  popular  Messianic  ideas. 
If,  on  the  contrary.  He  answered  No,  they  would  accuse 
Him  of  treason  before  the  Roman  governor.  But  Jesus 
was  far  more  than  a  match  for  them.  Hour  by  hour  He 
steadfastly  met  the  attack.     His   straightforwardness  put 


118  THE   LIFE    OE   JEStJS    CHRIST. 

their  duplicity  to  shame,  and  His  skill  in  argument  turned 
every  spear  which  they  directed  at  Him  round  to  their  own 
breasts.  At  last  He  carried  the  war  into  their  own  terri- 
tory, and  convicted  them  of  such  is^norance  or  lack  of  can- 
dor  as  completely  put  them  to  shame  before  the  onlookers. 
Then,  when  He  had  silenced  them.  He  let  loose  the  storm 
of  His  indignation,  and  delivered  against  them  the  philip- 
pic which  is  recorded  in  the  twenty-third  chapter  of  Mat- 
thew. Giving  unrestrained  expression  to  the  pent-up  criti- 
cism of  a  lifetime.  He  exposed  their  hypocritical  practices 
in  sentences  that  fell  like  strokes  of  lightning  and  made 
them  a  scorn  and  laughing-stock,  not  only  to  the  hearers 
then,  but  to  all  the  world  since. 

151.  It  was  the  final  breach  between  Him  and  them. 
They  had  been  utterly  humiliated  before  the  whole  people, 
over  whom  they  were  set  in  authority  and  honor.  They 
felt  it  to  be  intolerable,  and  resolved  not  to  lose  an  hour 
in  seeking  their  revenge.  That  very  evening  the  Sanhe- 
drim met  in  passionate  mood  to  devise  a  plan  for  making 
away  with  Him.  Nicodemus  and  Joseph  of  Arimathea 
may  have  raised  a  solitary  protest  against  their  precipitate 
proceedings;  but  they  indignantly  silenced  them,  and  were 
unanimously  of  opinion  that  He  should  forthwith  be  put  to 
death.  But  circumstances  checked  their  cruel  haste.  At 
least  the  forms  of  justice  would  have  to  be  gone  through; 
and  besides, 'Jesus  evidently  enjoyed  an  immense  popular- 
ity among  the  strangers  who  filled  the  city.  What  might 
not  the  idle  crowd  do  if  He  were  arrested  before  their 
eyes?  It  was  necessary  to  wait  till  the  mass  of  the  pil- 
grims had  left  the  city.  They  had  just,  with  great  reluc- 
tance, arrived  at  this  conclusion,  when  they  received  a 
most  unexpected  and  gratifying  surprise.  One  of  His  own 
disciples  appeared,  and  offered  to  betray  Him  for  a  price. 

152.  Judas  Iscariot  is  the  byword  of  the  human  race. 


THE   END.  119 

In  his  Vision  of  Hell ^  Dante  has  placed  him  in  the  lowest 
of  the  circles  of  the  damned,  as  the  sole  sharer  with  Satan 
himself  of  the  very  uttermost  punishment;  and  the  poet's 
verdict  is  that  of  mankind.  Yet  he  was  not  such  a  mon- 
ster of  iniquity  as  to  be  utterly  beyond  comprehension  or 
even  sympathy.  The  history  of  his  base  and  appalling 
lapse  is  perfectly  intelligible.  He  had  joined  the  disciple- 
ship  of  Jesus,  as  the  other  apostles  did,  in  the  hope  of 
taking  part  in  a  political  revolution  and  occupying  a  distin- 
guished place  in  an  earthly  kingdom.  It  is  inconceivable 
that  Jesus  would  have  made  him  an  apostle  if  there  had 
not  at  one  time  been  some  noble  enthusiasm  in  him,  and 
some  attachment  to  Himself.  That  he  was  a  man  of  supe- 
rior energy  and  administrative  ability  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  he  was  made  the  purse-bearer  of  the  apostolic 
company.  But  there  was  a  canker  at  the  root  of  his  char- 
acter, which  gradually  absorbed  all  that  was  excellent  in 
him,  and  became  a  tyrannical  passion.  It  was  the  love  of 
money.  He  fed  it  by  the  petty  peculations  which  he  prac- 
tised on  the  small  sums  which  Jesus  received  from  His 
friends  for  the  necessities  of  His  company  and  for  distribu- 
tion among  the  poor  with  whom  He  was  daily  mingling. 
He  hoped  to  give  it  unrestrained  gratification  when  He 
became  chancellor  of  the  exchequer  in  the  new  kingdom. 
The  vi,ews  of  the  other  apostles  were  perhaps  as  worldly 
to  begin  with  as  his.  But  the  history  of  their  intercourse 
with  their  Master  was  totally  different.  They  became  ever 
more  spiritual,  he  ever  more  worldly.  They  never,  indeed, 
as  long  as  Jesus  lived,  rose  to  the  idea  of  a  spiritual  king- 
dom apart  from  an  earthly  one;  but  the  spiritual  elements 
which  their  Master  had  taught  them  to  add  to  their  material 
conception  grew  more  and  more  prominent,  till  the  earthly 
heart  was  eaten  out  of  it,  and  merely  the  empty  shell  was 
left,  to  be   in    due  time   crushed   and   blown   away.      But 


120  THE    LIFE    OP   JESUS    CHRIST. 

Judas'  eathly  views  became  more  and  more  engrossing,  and 
were  more  and  more  divested  of  every  spiritual  adjunct. 
He  grew  impatient  for  their  realization.  Preaching  and 
healing  seemed  to  him  waste  of  time;  the  purity  and  un- 
worldliness  of  Jesus  irritated  him;  why  did  He  not  brino- 
on  the  kingdom  at  once,  and  then  preach  as  much  as  He 
chose  afterwards  !  At  last  he  began  to  suspect  that  there 
was  to  be  no  kingdom  such  as  he  had  hoped  for  at  all.  He 
felt  that  he  had  been  deceived,  and  began  not  only  to  des- 
pise but  even  hate  his  Master.  The  failure  of  Jesus  to 
take  advantage  of  the  disposition  of  the  people  on  Palm 
Sunday  finally  convinced  him  that  it  was  useless  to  hold  on 
to  the  cause  any  longer.  He  saw  that  the  ship  was  sinking 
and  resolved  to  get  out  of  it.  He  carried  out  his  resolu- 
tion in  such  a  way  as  both  to  gratify  his  master-passion 
and  secure  the  favor  of  the  authorities.  His  oflFer  came  to 
them  just  at  the  right  moment.  They  closed  with  it 
greedily,  and,  having  arranged  the  price  with  the  misera- 
ble man,  sent  him  away  to  find  a  convenient  opportunity 
for  the  betrayal.  He  found  it  sooner  than  they  expected — 
on  the  next  night  but  one  after  the  dastardly  bargain  had 
been  concluded. 

153.  Jesus  in  the  Prospect  of  Death. — Christianity  has 
no  more  precious  possession  than  the  memory  of  Jesus 
during  the  week  when  He  stood  face  to  face  with  death. 
Unspeakably  great  as  He  always  was,  it  may  be  rever- 
ently said  that  He  was  never  so  great  as  during  those  days 
of  direst  calamity.  All  that  was  grandest  and  all  that  was 
most  tender,  the  most  human  and  the  most  divine  aspects 
of  His  character,  were  brought  out  as  they  had  never  been 
before. 

154.  He  came  to  Jerusalem  well  aware  that  He  was 
about  to  die.     For  a  whole  year  the  fact  had  been  staring 


THE  END.  121 

Him  constantly  in  the  face,  and  the  long-looked- fcr  had 
come  at  last.  He  knew  it  was  His  Father's  will,  and,  when 
the  hour  arrived.  He  bent  His  steps  with  sublime  fortitude 
to  the  fatal  spot.  It  was  not,  however,  without  a  terrible 
conflict  of  feelinofs;  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  most  diverse 
emotions  —  anguish  and  ecstasy,  the  most  prolonged  and 
crushing  depression,  the  most  triumphant  joy  and  the  most 
majestic  peace  —  swayed  hither  and  thither  within  Him 
like  the  moods  of  a  vast  ocean. 

155.  Some  have  hesitated  to  attribute  to  Him  aught  of 
that  shrinkinfr  from  death  which  is  natural  to  man;  but 
surely  without  good  reason.  It  is  an  instinct  perfectly  in- 
nocent; and  perhaps  the  very  fact  that  His  bodily  organ- 
ism was  pure  and  perfect  may  have  made  it  stronger  in 
Him  than  it  is  in  us.  Remember  how  young  He  was  — 
only  three-and-thirty;  the  currents  of  life  were  powerful  in 
Him;  He  was  full  of  the  instincts  of  action.  To  have 
these  strong  currents  rolled  back  and  the  light  and  warmth 
of  life  quenched  in  the  cold  waters  of  death  must  have 
been  utterly  repugnant  to  Him.  An  incident  which  hap- 
pened on  the  Monday  caused  Him  a  great  shock  of  this  in- 
stinctive pain.  Some  Greeks  who  had  come  to  the  feast 
expressed  through  two  of  the  apostles  their  desire  for  an 
interview  with  Him.  There  were  many  heathens  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  Greek-speaking  world  who  at  this  period 
had  found  refuge  from  the  atheism  and  disgusting  immor- 
ality of  the  times  in  the  religion  of  the  Jews  settled  in 
their  midst,  and  had  accordingly  become  proselytes  of  the 
worship  of  Jehovah.  To  this  class  these  inquirers  be- 
longed. But  their  application  shook  Him  with  thoughts 
which  they  little  dreamt  of.  Only  two  or  three  times  in 
the  course  of  His  ministry  does  He  seem  to  have  been 
brought  into  contact  with  representatives  of  the  world 
lying  outside  the  limits  of  His  own  people,  His  mission 
6 


122  THE   LIFE   OP   JESUS    CHRIST. 

being  exclusively  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel. 
But  on  every  such  occasion  He  met  with  a  faith,  a  courtesy 
and  nobility,  which  He  Himself  contrasted  with  the  unbe- 
lief, rudeness,  and  pettiness  of  the  Jews.  How  could  He 
help  longing  to  pass  beyond  the  narrow  bounds  of  Pales- 
tine and  visit  nations  of  such  simple  and  generous  disposi- 
tion? He  must  often  have  seen  visions  of  a  career  like  that 
afterwards  achieved  by  Paul,  when  He  bore  the  glad  tidings 
from  land  to  land,  and  evangelized  Athens,  Rome,  and 
the  other  great  centers  of  the  West.  What  joy  such  a 
career  would  have  been  to  Jesus,  who  felt  within  Himself 
the  energy  and  overflowing  benevolence  which  it  would 
have  exactly  suited!  But  death  v/as  at  hand  to  extinguish 
all.  The  visit  of  the  Greeks  caused  a  great  wave  of  such 
thoughts  to  break  over  Him.  Instead  of  responding  to 
their  request.  He  became  abstracted.  His  face  darkened,  and 
His  frame  was  shaken  with  the  tremor  of  an  inward  conflict. 
But  He  soon  recovered  Himself,  and  gave  expression  to  the 
thoughts  on  which  in  those  days  He  was  steadying  up  His 
soul:  "  Except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die, 
it  abideth  alone;  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit." 
"And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  w4Il  draw  all  men 
unto  Me."  He  could  see  beyond  death,  terrible  and  ab- 
sorbing as  the  prospect  of  it  was,  and  assure  Himself  that 
the  eff"ect  of  His  self-sacrifice  would  be  infinitely  grander 
and  more  extensive  than  that  of  a  personal  mission  to  the 
heathen  world  could  ever  have  been.  Besides,  death  was 
what  His  Father  had  appointed  for  Him.  This  was  the  last 
and  deepest  consolation  with  which  He  soothed  His  hum- 
ble and  trustful  soul  on  this  as  on  every  similar  occasion: 
"Now  is  my  soul  troubled;  and  what  shall  I  say?  Father, 
save  me  from  this  hour:  but  for  this  cause  came  I  unto 
this  hour.     Father,  glory  Thyself." 

156.   Death  approached  Him  with  every  terrible  accom- 


THE   END.  123 

paniment.  He  was  to  fall  a  victim  to  the  treachery  of  a 
follower  of  His  own,  whom  He  had  cliosen  and  loved.  His 
life  was  to  be  taken  by  the  hands  of  His  own  nation,  in  the 
city  of  His  heart.  He  had  come  to  exalt  His  nation  to 
heaven,  and  had  loved  her  with  a  devotion  nourished  by 
the  most  intelligent  and  sympathetic  acquaintance  with  her 
past  history  and  with  the  great  men  who  had  loved  her  be- 
fore Him,  as  well  as  by  the  sense  of  all  which  He  Himself 
was  able  to  do  for  her.  But  His  death  would  bring  down 
the  blight  of  a  thousand  curses  on  Palestine  and  Jerusalem. 
How  clearly  He  foresaw  what  was  coming  was  shown  by 
the  memorable  prophetic  discourse  of  the  twenty-fourth  of 
Matthew,  which  He  spoke  on  Tuesday  afternoon  to  His  dis- 
ciples, sitting  on  the  side  of  Mount  Olivet,  with  the 
doomed  city  at  His  feet.  How  bitter  was  the  anguish  it 
caused  Him  was  shown  on  the  Sunday,  when,  even  in  His 
hour  of  triumph,  as  the  joyful  multitude  bore  Him  down 
the  mountain  road.  He  stopped  at  the  point  where  the  city 
burst  upon  the  view,  and  with  tears  and  lamentations  pre- 
dicted its  fate.  It  ouo-ht  to  have  been  the  fair  citv's  bridal 
day,  when  she  should  have  been  married  to  the  Son  of  God; 
but  the  pallor  of  death  was  on  her  face.  He  who  would 
have  taken  her  to  His  heart,  as  the  hen  gathers  her  chick- 
ens under  her  wings,  saw  the  eagles  already  in  the  air,  fly- 
ing fast  to  rend  her  in  pieces. 

157.  In  the  evenings  of  this  week  He  went  out  to 
Bethany;  but  in  all  probability  He  spent  most  of  the 
nights  alone  in  the  open  air.  He  wandered  about  in  the 
solitude  of  the  hill-top  and  among  the  olive-groves  and 
gardens  with  which  the  sides  of  the  mount  were  covered; 
many  a  time,  perhaps,  going  along  the  same  road  down 
which  the  procession  had  passed,  and,  as  He  looked  across 
the  valley,  from  the  point  where  He  had  stopped  before,  at 
the  city  sleeping  in  the  moonlight,  startling  the  night  with 


134  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST 

cries  more  bitter  than  the  lamentation  which  overawed  the 
multitude;  many  a  time  repeating  to  His  lonely  heart  the 
great  truths  He  had  uttered  in  the  presence  of  the  Greeks. 

158.  He  was  terribly  alone.  The  whole  world  was 
against  Him, — Jerusalem  panting  for  His  life  with  passion- 
ate hate,  the  tens  of  thousands  from  the  provinces  turned 
from  Him  in  disappointment.  Not  one  even  of  His  apos- 
tles, not  even  John,  was  in  the  least  aware  of  the  real 
situation,  or  able  to  be  the  confidant  of  His  thoug-hts.  This 
was  one  of  the  bitterest  drops  in  His  cup.  He  felt,  as  no 
other  person  has  ever  felt,  the  necessity  of  living  on  in  the 
world  after  death.  The  cause  He  had  inaugurated  must 
not  die.  It  was  for  the  whole  world,  and  was  to  endure 
through  all  generations  and  visit  every  part  of  the  globe. 
But  after  His  departure  it  would  be  left  in  the  hands  of 
His  apostles,  who  were  now  showing  themselves  so  weak, 
unsympathetic,  and  ignorant.  Were  they  fit  for  the  task? 
Had  not  one  of  them  turned  out  a  traitor?  Would  not 
the  cause,  when  He  was  gone, — so  perhaps  the  tempter 
whispered, — go  to  wreck,  and  all  His  far-reaching  plans 
for  the  regeneration  of  the  world  vanish  like  the  baseless 
fabric  of  a  vision? 

159.  Yet  He  was  not  alone.  Among  the  deep  shadows 
of  the  gardens  and  upon  the  summits  of  Olivet,  He  sought 
the  unfailing  resource  of  other  and  less  troubled  days,  and 
found  it  still  in  His  dire  need.  His  Father  was  with  Him; 
and,  pouring  out  supplications  with  strong  crying  and  tears. 
He  was  heard  in  that  He  feared.  He  hushed  His  spirit 
with  the  sense  that  His  Father's  perfect  love  and  wisdom 
were  appointing  all  that  was  happening  to  Him,  and  that 
He  was  glorifying  His  Father  and  fulfilling  the  work  given 
Him  to  do.  This  could  banish  every  fear,  and  fill  Him 
with  a  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory. 

160.  At  last  the   end  drew  very  near.     The  Thursday 


THE    END  125 

evening  arrived,  when  in  every  house  in  Jerusalem  the 
Passover  was  eaten.  Jesus  also  with  the  Twelve  sat  down 
to  eat  it.  He  knew  that  it  was  His  last  night  on  earth, 
and  that  this  was  His  farewell  meetino-  with  His  own. 
Ha])pily  there  has  been  preserved  to  us  a  full  account  of 
it,  with  which  every  Christian  mind  is  familiar.  It  was 
the  greatest  evening  in  His  life.  His  soul  overflowed  in 
indescribable  tenderness  and  grandeur.  Some  shadows 
indeed  fell  across  His  spirit  in  the  earlier  hours  of  the 
evening.  But  they  soon  passed;  and  throughout  the 
scenes  of  the  washing  of  the  disciples'  feet,  the  eating  of 
the  Passover,  the  institution  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  the 
farewell  address,  and  the  great  high-priestly  prayer,  the 
whole  glory  of  His  character  shone  out.  He  completely 
resigned  Himself  to  the  genial  impulses  of  friendship,  His 
love  to  His  own  flowing  forth  without  limit;  and,  as  if  He 
had  forgotten  all  their  imperfections.  He  rejoiced  in  the  • 
anticipation  of  their  future  successes  and  the  triumph  of 
His  cause.  Not  a  shadow  intercepted  His  view  of  the 
face  of  His  Father  or  dimmed  the  satisfaction  with  which 
He  looked  on  His  own  work  just  about  to  be  completed. 
It  was  as  if  the  Passion  were  already  past,  and  the  glory 
of  His  Exaltation  were  already  breaking  around  Him. 

161.  But  the  reaction  came  very  soon.  Rising  from 
the  table  at  midnight,  they  passed  through  the  streets  and 
out  of  the  town  by  the  eastern  gate  of  the  city,  and,  cross- 
ing the  Kedron,  reached  a  well-known  haunt  of  His  at  the 
foot  of  Olivet,  the  garden  of  Gethsemane.  Here  ensued 
the  awful  and  memorable  Agony.  ]t  was  the  final  access 
of  the  mood  of  depression  which  had  been  struggling  all 
the  week  with  the  mood  of  joy  and  trust  whose  culmination 
had  been  reached  at  the  supper  table.  It  was  the  final 
onset  of  temptation,  from  which  His  life  had  never  been 
free.     But  we  fear  to   analyze  the  elements  of  the  scene. 


126  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

We  know  that  any  conception  of  ours  must  be  utterly 
unable  to  exhaust  its  meaning".  How,  above  all,  can  we 
estimate  in  the  faintest  degree  the  chief  element  in  it, — 
the  crushing,  scorching  pressure  of  the  sin  of  the  world, 
which  He  was  then  expiating? 

162.  But  the  struggle  ended  in  a  complete  victory. 
While  the  poor  disciples  were  sleeping  away  the  hours  of 
preparation  for  the  crisis  which  was  at  hand.  He  had  thor- 
oughly equipped  Himself  for  it;  He  had  fought  down  the 
last  remnants  of  temptation;  the  bitterness  of  death  was 
past;  and  He  was  able  to  go  through  the  scenes  which  fol- 
lowed with  a  calmness  which  nothing  could  ruffle,  and  a 
majesty  which  converted  His  trial  and  crucifixion  into  the 
pride  and  glory  of  humanity. 

163.  The  Trial. — He  had  just  overcome  in  this  struggle 
,    when  through  the  branches  of  the  olives  He  saw,  moving 

in  the  moonlight  down  the  opposite  slope,  the  mass  of  His 
enemies  comino-  to  arrest  Him.  The  traitor  was  at  their 
head.  He  was  well  acquainted  with  his  Master's  haunt  and 
probably  hoped  to  find  Him  there  asleep.  For  this  reason 
he  had  chosen  the  midnight  hour  for  his  dark  deed.  It 
suited  his  employers  well  too,  for  they  were  afraid  to  lay 
hands  on  Jesus  in  the  day-time,  dreading  the  temper  of  the 
Galilean  strangers  who  filled  the  city.  But  they  knew  how 
it  would  overawe  His  friends,  if,  getting  His  trial  over 
during  the  night,  they  could  show  Him  in  the  morning, 
when  the  populace  awoke,  already  a  condemned  criminal 
in  the  hands  of  the  executors  of  the  law.  They  had  brought 
lanterns  and  torches  with  them,  thinking  they  might  find 
their  victim  crouching  in  some  cave,  or  that  they  might 
have  to  pursue  Him  through  the  wood.  But  He  came 
forth  to  meet  them  at  the  entrance  to  the  garden,  and  they 
quailed  like  cravens  before  His  majestic  looks  and  wither- 


THE    END.  127 

ing  words.  He  freely  surrendered  Himself  into  their 
hands,  and  they  led  Him  back  to  the  city.  It  was  probably 
about  midnio'ht;  and  the  remaining:  hours  of  the  nio-ht  and 
the  early  hours  of  the  morning  were  occupied  with  the 
legal  proceedings  which  had  to  be  gone  through,  before 
they  could  gratify  their  thirst  for  His  life. 

164.  There  were  two  trials,  an  ecclesiastical  one  and  a 
civil  one,  in  each  of  which  there  were  three  stages.  The 
former  took  place,  first  before  Annas,  then  before  Caiaphas 
and  an  informal  committee  of  the  Sanhedrim,  and,  lastly, 
before  a  reg-ular  meetino-  of  this  court:  the  latter  took 
place,  first  before  Pilate,  then  before  Herod,  and,  lastly, 
before  Pilate  again. 

165.  The  reason  of  this  double  legal  process  was  the 
political  situation  of  the  country.  Judgea,  as  has  been 
already  explained,  was  directly  subject  to  the  Roman  em- 
pire, forming  a  part  of  the  province  of  Syria,  and  being 
governed  by  a  Roman  officer,  who  resided  at  Csesarea. 
But  it  was  not  the  practice  of  Rome  to  strip  those  countries 
which  she  had  subdued  of* all  the  forms  of  native  govern- 
ment. Though  she  ruled  with  an  iron  hand,  collecting  her 
taxes  with  severity,  suppressing  every  sign  of  rebellion 
with  promptitude,  and  asserting  her  paramount  authority 
on  great  occasions,  yet  she  conceded  to  the  conquered  as 
many  of  the  insignia  as  possible  of  their  ancient  power. 
She  was  especially  tolerant  in  matters  of  religion.  Thus 
the  Sanhedrim,  the  supreme  ecclesiastical  court  of  the  Jews, 
was  still  permitted  to  try  all  religious  causes.  Only,  if 
the  sentence  passed  was  a  capital  one,  its  execution  could 
not  take  place  without  the  case  being  tried  over  again  be- 
fore the  governor.  So  that,  when  a  prisoner  was  convicted 
by  the  Jewish  ecclesiastical  tribunal  of  a  capital  crime,  he 
had  to  be  sent  down  to  Caesarea  and  prosecuted  before  the 
civil  court,  unless  the  governor  happened  to  be  at  the  time 


128  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

in  Jerusalem.  The  crime  of  which  Jesus  was  accusv^d  was 
one  which  naturally  came  before  the  ecclesiastical  court. 
This  court  passed  on  Him  a  death  sentence.  But  it  had 
not  the  power  to  carry  it  out.  It  had  to  hand  Him  on  to 
the  tribunal  of  the  governor,  who  happened  at  the  time  to 
be  in  the  capital,  which  he  generally  visited  at  the  Passover. 

166.  Jesus  was  conducted  first  to  the  palace  of  Annas. 
He  was  an  old  man  of  seventy,  who  had  been  high  priest 
a  score  of  years  before,  and  still  retained  the  title,  as  did 
also  five  of  his  sons  who  had  succeeded  him,  thouo^h  his 
son-in-law  Caiaphas  was  the  actual  high-priest.  His  age, 
ability,  and  family  influence  gave  him  immense  social 
weight,  and  he  was  the  virtual,  though  not  formal,  head  of 
the  Sanhedrim.  He  did  not  try  Jesus,  but  merely  wished 
to  see  Him  and  ask  a  few  questions;  so  that  He  was  very 
soon  led  away  from  the  palace  of  Annas  to  that  of  Caia- 
phas, which  probably  formed  part  of  the  same  group  of 
official  buildings 

167.  Caiaphas,  as  ruling  high-priest,  was  president  of 
the  Sanhedrim,  before  which  Jesus  was  tried.  A  legal 
meeting  of  this  court  could  not  be  held  before  sunrise,  per- 
haps about  six  o'clock.  But  there  were  many  of  its  mem- 
bers already  on  the  spot,  who  had  been  drawn  toget-her  by 
their  interest  in  the  case.  They  were  eager  to  get  to  work, 
both  to  gratify  their  own  dislike  to  Him  and  to  prevent  the 
interference  of  the  populace  with  their  proceedings.  Ac- 
cordingly they  resolved  to  hold  an  informal  meeting  at 
once,  at  which  the  accusation,  evidence  and  so  forth  might 
be  put  into  shape,  so  that,  when  the  legal  hour  for  opening 
their  doors  arrived,  there  might  be  nothing  to  do  but  to 
repeat  the  necessary  formalities  and  carry  Him  ofl"  to  the 
governor.  This  was  done;  and,  while  Jerusalem  slept, 
these  eager  judges  hurried  forward  their  dark  designs. 


THE    END.  129 

168.  They  did  not  begin,  as  might  have  been  expected, 
witii  a  clear  statement  of  the  'crime  with  which  He  was 
cliarged..  Indeed,  it  woidd  have  been  difficult  for  them  to 
do  so,  for  they  were  divided  among  themselves.  Many 
thino^s  in  His  life  which  the  Pharisees  regarded  as  criminal 
were  treated  by  the  Sadducees  with  indifference;  and  other 
acts  of  His,  like  the  cleansing  of  the  temple,  which  had 
enraged  the  Sadducees,  afforded  gratification  to  the  Phari- 
sees. 

169.  The  high-priest  began  with  questioning  Him  as  to 
His  disciples  and  doctrine,  evidently  with  the  view  of  dis- 
covering whether  He  had  taught  any  revolutionary  tenets, 
which  might  form  a  ground  of  accusation  .before  the  gov- 
ernor. But  Jesus  repelled  the  insinuation,  indignantly  as- 
serting that  He  had  ever  spoken  openly  before  the  world, 
and  demanded  a  statement  and  proof  of  any  evil  He  had 
done.  This  unusual  reply  induced  one  of  the  minions  of 
the  court  to  smite  Him  on  the  mouth  with  His  fist  —  an 
act  which  the  court  apparently  did  not  rebuke,  and  which 
showed  what  amount  of  justice  He  had  to  expect  at  the 
hands  of  His  judges.  An  attempt  was  then  made  to  bring 
proof  against  Him,  a  number  of  witnesses  repeating  va- 
rious statements  they  had  heard  Him  make,  out  of  which  it 
was  hoped  an  accusation  might  be  constructed.  But  it 
turned  out  a  total  failure.  The  witnesses  could  not  ao-ree 
among  themselves;  and  when  at  last  two  were  got  to  unite 
in  a  distorted  report  of  a  saying  of  His  early  ministry, 
which  appeared  to  have  some  color  of  criminality,  it  turned 
out  to  be  a  thing  so  paltry  that  it  would  have  been  absurd 
to  appear  with  it  before  the  governor  as  the  ground  of  a 
serious  charg-e. 

170.  They  were  resolved  on  His  death,  but  the  prey 
seemed  slipping  out  of  their  hands.  Jesus  looked  on  in 
absolute   silence,  while  contradictory    testimonies  of    the 

I 


130  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

witnesses  demolished  each  other.  He  quietly  took  His 
natural  position  far  above  His  judges.  They  felt  it;  and 
at  last  the  president,  in  a  transport  of  rage  and  irritation, 
started  up  and  commanded  Him  to  speak.  Why  was  He 
so  loud  and  shrill?  The  humiliating  spectacle  going  on 
in  the  witness-box  and  the  silent  dignity  of  Jesus  were  be- 
ginning to  trouble  even  these  consciences,  assembled  in 
the  dead  of  night. 

171.  The  case  had  completely  broken  down,  when  Caia- 
phas  rose  from  his  seat,  and,  with  theatrical  solemnity, 
asked  the  question:  "I  adjure  Thee  by  the  living  God,  that 
Thou  tell  us  whether  Thou  be  the  Christ  the  Son  of  God." 
It  was  a  question  asked  merely  in  order  to  induce  Jesus 
to  criminate  Himself.  Yet  He  who  had  kept  silence  when 
He  mig^ht  have  spoken  now  spoke  when  He  might  have 
been  silent.  With  great  solemnity  He  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  that  He  was  the  Messiah  and  the  Son  of  God. 
Nothing  more  was  needed  by  His  judges.  They  unani- 
mously pronounced  Him  guilty  of  blasphemy  and  worthy 
of  death. 

172.  The  whole  trial  had  been  conducted  with  precipi- 
tancy and  total  disregard  of  the  formalities  proper  to  a 
court  of  law.  Everything  was  dictated  by  the  desire  to 
arrive  at  guilt,  not  justice.  The  same  persons  were  both 
prosecutors  and  judges.  No  witnesses  for  the  defence 
were  thought  of.  Though  the  judges  were  doubtless  per- 
fectly conscientious  in  their  sentence,  it  was  the  decision 
of  minds  long  ago  shut  against  the  truth  and  possessed 
with  the  most  bitter  and  revengeful  passions. 

173.  The  trial  was  now  looked  upon  as  past,  the  legal 
proceedings  after  sunrise  being  a  mere  formality,  which 
would  be  got  over  in  a  few  minutes.  Accordingly,  Jesus 
was  given  up  as  a  condemned  man  to  the  cruelty  of  the 
jailors  and  the  mob.     Then  ensued  a  scene  over  which  one 


THE    END.  ]31 

would  gladly  draw  a  veil.  There  broke  forth  on  Him  an 
Oriental  brutality  of  abuse  which  makes  the  blood  run 
cold.  Apparently  the  Sanhedrists  themselves  took  part  in 
it.  This  Man,  who  had  baffled  them,  impaired  their  authority 
and  exposed  their  hypocrisy,  was  very  hateful  to  them. 
Sadducean  coldness  could  boil  up  into  heat  enough  when 
it  was  really  roused.  Pharisaic  fanaticism  was  inventive 
in  its  cruelty.  They  smote  Him  with  their  fists,  they  spat 
on  Him,  they  blindfolded  Him,  and,  in  derision  of  His 
prophetic  claims,  bade  Him  prophesy  who  struck  Him,  as 
they  took  their  turn  of  smiting  Him.  But  we  will  not 
dwell  on  a  scene  so  disgraceful  to  human  nature. 

174.  It  was  probably  between  six  and  seven  in  the 
morning  when  they  conducted  Jesus,  bound  with  chains, 
to  the  residence  of  the  governor.  What  a  spectacle  that 
was!  The  priests,  teachers,  and  judges  of  the  Je\^ish 
nation  leading  their  Messiah  to  ask  the  Gentile  to  put  Him 
to  death!  It  was  the  hour  of  the  nation's  suicide.  This 
was  all  that  had  come  of  God's  choosing  them,  bearing 
them  on  eagles'  wings  and  carrying  them  all  the  days  of 
old,  sending  them  His  prophets  and  deliverers,  redeeming 
them  from  Egypt  and  Babylon,  and  causing  His  glory  for 
so  many  centuries  to  pass  before  their  eyes!  Surely  it  was 
the  very  mockery  of  Providence.  Yet  God  was  not  mocked. 
His  designs  march  down  through  history  with  resistless 
tread,  waiting  not  on  the  will  of  man;  and  even  this  tragic 
hour,  when  the  Jewish  nation  was  turning  His  dealings 
into  derision,  was  destined  to  demonstrate  the  depths  of 
His  wisdom  and  love. 

175.  The  man  before  whose  judgment-seat  Jesus  was 
about  to  appear  was  Pontius  Pilate,  who  had  been  governor 
of  Judaea  for  six  years.  'He  was  a  typical  Roman,  not  of 
the  antique,  simple  stamp,  but  of  the  imperial  period;  a 


lo2  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

man  not  without  some  remains  of  the  ancient  Roman  jus- 
tice in  his  soul,  yet  pleasure-loving,  imperious,  and  corrupt. 
He  hated  the  Jews  whom  he  ruled,  and,  in  times  of  irrita- 
tion, freely  shed  their  blood.  They  returned  his  hatred 
with  cordialit}'-,  and  accused  him  of  every  crime,  malad- 
ministration, cruelty,  and  robbery.  He  visited  Jerusalem 
as  seldom  as  possible;  for,  indeed,  to  one  accustomed  to 
the  pleasures  of  Rome,  with  its  theaters,  baths,  games,  and 
gay  society,  Jerusalem,  with  its  religiousness  and  ever- 
smoldering  revolt,  was  a  dreary  residence.  When  he  did 
visit  it,  he  stayed  in  the  magnificent  palace  of  Herod  the 
Great;  it  being  common  for  the  officers  sent  by  Rome  into 
conquered  countries  to  occupy  the  palaces  of  the  displaced 
sovereig-ns. 

176.  Up  the  broad  avenue,  which  led  through  a  fine 
park,  laid  out  with  walks,  ponds,  and  trees  of  various  kinds, 
to  the  front  of  the  building,  the  Sanhedrists  and  the  crowd 
which  had  joined  the  procession,  as  it  moved  on  through 
the  streets,  conducted  Jesus.  The  court  was  held  in  the 
open  air,  on  a  mosaic  pavement  in  front  of  that  portion  of 
the  palace  which  united  its  two  colossal  wings. 

177.  The  Jewish  authorities  had  hoped  that  Pilate  would 
accept  their  decision  as  his  own,  and  without  going  into 
the  merits  of  the  case,  pass  the  sentence  they  desired. 
This  was  frequently  done  by  provincial  governors,  espe- 
cially in  matters  of  religion,  "which,  as  foreigners,  they  could 
not  be  expected  to  understand.  Accordingly,  when  he 
asked  what  the  crime  of  Jesus  was,  they  replied,  "  If  He 
were  not  a  malefactor,  we  would  not  have  delivered  Him 
up  unto  thee."  But  he  was  not  in  the  mood  of  concession, 
and  told  them  that,  if  he  was  not  to  try  the  culprit,  they 
must  be  content  with  such  a  punishment  as  the  law  per- 
mitted them  to  inflict.  He  seems  to  have  known  something 
of  Jesus.     "He    knew  that  for   envy  they   had   delivered 


THE    END.  133 

Him."  The  triumphal  procession  of  Sunday  was  sure  to 
be  reported  to  him;  and  the  neglect  of  Jesus  to  make  use 
of  that  demonstration  for  any  political  end  may  have  con- 
vinced him  that  He  was  politically  harmless.  His  wife's 
dream  may  imply  that  He  had  been  the  subject  of  conver- 
sation in  the  palace;  and  perhaps  the  polite  man  of  the 
world  and  his  lady  had  felt  the  ennui  of  their  visit  to  Jeru- 
salem relieved  by  the  story  of  the  young  peasant  enthu- 
siast who  was  bearding  the  fanatic  priests. 

178.  Forced  against  their  hopes  to  bring  forward  formal 
charges,  the  Jewish  authorities  poured  out  a  volley  of 
accusations,  out  of  which  these  three  clearly  emerged, — 
that  He  had  perverted  the  nation,  that  He  forbade  to  pay 
the  Roman  tribute,  and  that  He  set  Himself  up  as  a  king. 
In  the  Sanhedrim  they  had  condemned  Him  for  blasphemy ; 
but  such  a  charge  would  have  been  treated  by  Pilate,  as 
they  well  knew,  in  the  same  way  as  it  w^as  afterwards 
treated  by  the  Roman  governor  Gallio,  when  preferred 
against  Paul  by  the  Jews  of  Corinth.  They  had  therefore 
to  invent  new  charges,  which  might  represent  Jesus  as 
formidable  to  the  government.  It  is  humiliating  to  think 
that,  in  doing  so,  they  resorted  not  only  to  gross  hypocrisy, 
but  even  to  deliberate  falsehood;  for  how  else  can  we 
characterize  the  second  charge,  when  we  remember  the 
answer  He  gave  to  their  question  on  the  same  subject  on 
the  previous  Tuesday? 

179.  Pilate  understood  their  pretended  zeal  for  the 
Roman  authority.  He  knew  the  value  of  this  vehement 
anxiety  that  Rome's  tribute  should  be  paid.  Rising  from 
his  seat  to  escape  the  fanatical  cries  of  the  mob,  he  took 
Jesus  inside  the  palace  to  examine  Him.  It  was  a  solemn 
moment  for  himself,  though  he  knew  it  not.  What  a  terri- 
ble fate  it  was  which  brought  him  to  this  spot  at  this  time! 
There  were  hundreds  of  Roman  officials  scattered  over  the 


134  THE   LIFE    OP   JESirS    CHRIST. 

empire,  conducting  their  lives  on  the  same  principles  as  his 
was  guided  by;  why  did  it  fall  to  him  to  bring  them  to 
bear  on  this  case?  He  had  no  idea  of  the  issues  he  was 
deciding.  The  culprit  may  have  seemed  to  him  a  little 
more  interesting  and  perplexing  than  others;  but  He  was 
only  one  of  hundreds  constantly  passing  through  his  hands. 
It  could  not  occur  to  him  that,  though  he  appeared  to  be 
the  judge,  yet  both  he  and  the  system  he  represented  were 
on  their  trial  before  One  whose  perfection  judged  and 
exposed  every  man  and  every  system  which  approached 
Him.  He  questioned  Him  in  regard  to  the  accusations 
brought  against  Him,  asking  especially  if  He  pretended  to 
be  a  king.  Jesus  replied  that  He  made  no  such  claim  in 
the  political  sense,  but  only  in  a  spiritual  sense,  as  King  of 
the  Truth.  This  reply  would  have  arrested  any  of  the 
nobler  spirits  of  heathendom,  who  spent  their  lives  in  the 
search  for  truth,  and  was  perhaps  framed  in  order  to  find 
out  whether  there  was  any  response  in  Pilate's  mind  to 
such  a  suggestion.  But  he  had  no  such  cravings  and  dis- 
missed it  with  a  laugh.  However,  he  was  convinced  that, 
as  he  had  supposed,  there  lurked  nothing  of  the  demagogue 
or  Messianic  revolutionist  behind  this  pure,  peaceful,  and 
melancholy  face ;  and,  returning  to  the  tribunal,  he  announced 
to  His  accusers  that  he  had  acquitted  Him. 

180.  The  announcement  was  received  with  shrieks  of 
disappointed  rage  and  the  loud  reiteration  of  the  charges 
against  Him.  It  was  a  thoroughly  Jewish  spectacle.  Many 
a  time  had  this  fanatical  mob  overcome  the  wishes  and 
decisions  of  their  foreign  masters  by  the  sheer  force  of 
clamor  and  pertinacity.  Pilate  ought  at  once  to  have 
released  and  protected  Him.  But  he  was  a  true  son  of  the 
system  in  which  he  had  been  brought  up  —  the  statecraft  of 
compromise  and  manoeuvre.  Amidst  the  cries  with  which 
they  assailed  his  ears  he  was  glad  to  hear  one  which  offered 


THE    END.  135 

him  an  excuse  for  getting  rid  of  the  whole  business.  They 
were  shouting  that  Jesus  had  excited  the  populace  "  through- 
out all  Jewry,  beginning  from  Galilee  unto  this  place."  It 
occurred  to  him  that  Herod,  the  ruler  of  Galilee,  was  in 
town,  and  that  he  might  get  rid  of  the  troublesome  ajffair 
by  handing  it  over  to  him;  for  it  was  a  common  procedure 
in  Roman  law  to  transfer  a  culprit  from  the  tribunal  of  the 
territory  in  which  he  was  arrested  to  that  of  the  territory 
in  which  he  was  domiciled.  Accordingly,  he  sent  Him 
away  in  the  hands  of  his  body-guard,  and  accompanied  by 
His  indefatigable  accusers,  to  the  palace  of  Herod. 

181.  They  found  this  princeling,  who  had  come  to 
Jerusalem  to  attend  the  feast,  in  the  midst  of  his  petty 
court  of  flatterers  and  boon  companions,  and  surrounded 
by  the  bodyguard  which  he  maintained  in  imitation  of  his 
foreign  masters.  He  was  delighted  ,to  see  Jesus,  whose 
fame  had  so  long  been  ringing  through  the  territory  over 
which  he  ruled.  He  was  a  typical  Oriental  prince,  who 
had  only  one  thought  in  life — his  own  pleasure  and  amuse- 
ment. He  came  up  to  the  Passover  merely  for  the  sake  of 
the  excitement.  The  appearance  of  Jesus  seemed  to  prom- 
ise a  new  sensation,  of  which  he  and  his  court  were  often 
sorely  in  want;  for  he  hoped  to  see  Him  work  a  miracle. 
He  was  a  man  utterly  incapable  of  taking  a  serious  view 
of  anything,  and  even  overlooked  the  business  about  which 
the  Jews  were  so  eager,  for  he  began  to  pour  out  a  flood  of 
rambling  questions  and  remarks,  without  pausing  for  any 
reply.  At  last,  however,  he  exhausted  himself,  and  waited 
for  the  response  of  Jesus.  But  he  waited  in  vain,  for  Jesus 
did  not  vouchsafe  him  one  word  of  any  kind.  Herod  had 
forgotten  the  murder  of  the  Baptist,  every  impression 
being  written  as  if  on  water  in  his  characterless  mind;  but 
Jesus  had  not  forsfotten  it.  He  felt  tliat  Herod  should 
have  been  ashamed  to  look  the  Baptist's  friend  in  the  face; 


136  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS   CHRIST. 

He  would  not  stoop  even  to  speak  to  a  man  who  could  treat 
Him  as  a  mere  wonder-worker,  who  might  purchase  his 
judge's  favor  by  exhibiting  his  skill;  He  looked  with  sad 
shame  on  one  who  had  abused  himself  till  there  was  no 
conscience  or  manliness  left  in  him.  But  Herod  was  utterly 
incapable  of  feeling  the  annihilating  force  of  such  silent 
disdain.  He  and  his  men  of  war  set  Jesus  at  naught,  and, 
throwing  over  His  shoulders  a  white  robe,  in  imitation  of 
that  worn  at  Rome  by  candidates  who  were  canvassing  for 
office,  to  indicate  that  He  was  a  candidate  for  the  Jewish 
throne,  but  one  so  ridiculous  that  it  would  be  useless  to 
treat  Him  with  anything  but  contempt,  sent  Him  back  to 
Pilate.  In  this  guise  He  retraced  His  weary  steps  to  the 
tribunal  of  the  Roman. 

182.  Then  ensued  a  course  of  procedure  on  the  part  of 
Pilate  by  which  he  made  himself  an  image  of  the  time- 
server,  to  be  exhibited  to  the  centuries  in  the  light  falling 
on  him  from  Christ.  It  was  evidently  his  duty,  when  Jesus 
returned  from  Herod,  to  pronounce  at  once  the  sentence  of 
acquittal.  But,  instead  of  doing  so,  he  resorted  to  expedi- 
ency, and,  being  hurried  on  from  one  false  step  to  another, 
was  finally  hurled  down  the  slope  of  complete  treachery  to 
principle.  He  proposed  to  the  Jews  that,  as  both  he  and 
Herod  had  found  Him  innocent,  he  should  scourge  and 
then  release  Him;  the  scourging  being  a  sop  to  their  rage, 
and  the  release  a  tribute  to  justice. 

183.  The  carrying  out  of  this  monstrous  proposal  was, 
however,  interrupted  by  an  incident  which  seemed  to  offer 
to  Pilate  once  more  a  way  of  escape  from  his  difficulty.  It 
was  the  custom  of  the  Roman  governor  on  Passover  morn- 
ing to  release  to  the  people  any  single  prisoner  they  might 
desire.  It  was  a  privilege  highly  prized  by  the  populace 
of  Jerusalem,  for  there  were  always  in  jail  plenty  of  pris- 
oners who,  by  rebellion  against  the  detested  foreign  yoke. 


THE   END.  137 

had  made  themselves  the  heroes  of  the  multitude.  At  this 
stage  of  the  trial  of  Jesus,  the  mob  of  the  city,  pouring 
from  street  and  alley  in  the  excited  Oriental  fashion,  came 
streaming  up  the  avenue  to  the  front  of  the  palace,  shout- 
ing for  this  annual  gift.  The  cry  was  for  once  welcome  to 
Pilate,  for  he  saw  in  it  a  loophole  of  escape  from  his  dis- 
agreeable position.  It  turned  out,  however,  to  be  a  noose 
through  which  he  was  slipping  his  ileck.  He  offered  the 
life  of  Jesus  to  the  mob.  For  a  moment  they  hesitated.  * 
But  they  had  a  favorite  of  their  own,  a  noted  leader  of 
revolt  against  the  Roman  domination;  and  besides,  voices 
instantly  began  to  whisper  busily  in  their  ears,  putting 
every  art  of  persuasion  into  exercise  in  order  to  induce 
them  not  to  accept  Jesus.  The  Sanhedrists,  in  spite  of  the 
zeal  they  had  manifested  the  hour  before  for  law  and  order, 
did  not  scruple  thus  to  take  the  side  of  the  champion  of 
sedition;  and  they  succeeded  only  too  well  in  poisoning 
the  minds  of  the  populace,  who  began  to  shout  for  their 
own  hero,  Barabbas.  "  What,  then,  shall  I  do  with  Jesus?" 
asked  Pilate,  expecting  them  to  answer,  "Give  us  Him  too." 
But  he  w^as  mistaken;  the  authorities  had  done  their  work 
successfully;  the  cry  came  from  ten  thousand  throats,  "  Let 
Him  be  crucified!"  Like  priests,  like  people;  it  was  the 
ratification  by  the  nation  of  the  decision  of  its  heads. 
Pilate,  completely  baffled,  angrily  asked,  "  Why,  what  evil 
hath  He  done?"  But  he  had  put  the  decision  into  their 
power;  they  were  now  thoroughly  fanaticized,  and  yelled 
forth,  "  Away  with  Him;  crucify  Him,  crucify  Him!" 

184.  Pilate  did  not  yet  mean  to  sacrifice  justice  utterly. 
He  had  still  a  move  in  reserve;  but  in  the  meantime  He 
sent  away  Jesus  to  be  scourged  —  the  usual  preliminary  to 
crucifixion.  The  soldiers  took  Him  to  a  room  in  their  liar- 
racks,  and  feasted  their  cruel  instincts  on  His  sufferings. 
We  will  not  describe  the  sliatne  and  pain  of  this  revolting 
6* 


138  THE    LIFE    OP    JESUS    CHRIST. 

punishment.  What  must  it  have  been  to  Him,  with  His 
honor  and  love  for  human  nature,  to  be  handled  by  those 
coarse  men,  and  to  look  so  closely  at  human  nature's  utter- 
most brutality  !  The  soldiers  enjoyed  their  v^ork  and 
heaped  insult  upon  cruelty.  When  the*  scourging  was  over, 
they  set  Him  down  on  a  seat,  and,  fetching  an  old  cast-off 
cloak,  flung  it,  in  derisive  imitation  of  the  royal  purple,  on 
His  shoulders;  they'  thrust  a  reed  into  His  hands  for  a 
scepter;  they  stripped  some  thorn-twigs  from  a  neighbor- 
ing bush,  and,  twining  them  into  the  rough  semblance  of  a 
crown,  crushed  down  their  rending  spikes  upon  His  brow. 
Then,  passing  in  front  of  Him,  each  of  them  in  turn  bent 
the  knee,  while,  at  the  same  time,  he  spat  in  His  face,  and 
plucking  the  read  from  His  hand,  smote  Him  with  it  over 
the  head  and  face. 

185.  At  last,  having  glutted  their  cruelty,  they  led  Him 
back  to  the^lrtbunal,  wearing  the  crown  of  thorns  and  the 
purple  robe.  The  crowds  raised  shouts  of  mad  laughter  at 
the  soldiers'  joke;  and,  with  a  sneer  on  his  face,  Pilate 
thrust  Him  forward,  so  as  to  meet  the  gaze  of  all,  and 
cried,  "  Behold  the  man!"  He  meant  that  surely  there 
was  no  use  of  doing  any  more  to  Him;  He  was  not  worth 
their  while;  could  one  so  broken  and  wretched  do  any 
harm?  How  little  he  understood  his  own  words!  That 
*'  Ecce  Homo  "  of  his  sounds  over  the  world  and  draws  the 
eyes  of  all  generations  to  that  marred  visage.  And  lo,  as 
we  look,  the  shame  is  gone;  it  has  lifted  off  Him  and  fallen 
on  Pilate  himself,  on  the  soldiery,  the  priests,  and  the  mob. 
His  outflashing  glory  has  scorched  away  every  speck  of 
disgrace,  and  tipped  the  crown  of  thorns  with  a  hundred 
points  of  flaming  brightness.  But  just  as  little  did  Pilate 
understand  the  temper  of  the  people  he  ruled,  when  he 
supposed  that  the  sight  of  the  misery  and  helplessness  of 
Jesus  would  satisfy  their  thirst  for  vengeance.     Their  ob- 


THE    END.  139 

jection  to  Him  all  along  had  been  that  one  so  poor  and  un 
ambitious  should  claim  to  be  their  Messiah;  and  the  sight 
of  Him  now,  scourged  and  scorned  b\'  the  alien  soldiery, 
yet  still  claiming  to  be  their  King,  raised  their  hate  to  mad' 
ness,  so  that  they  cried  louder  than  ever,  "  Crucify  .Him, 
crucify  Him." 

186.  Now  at  last,  too,  thev  srave  vent  to  the  real  charo^e 
against  Him,  which  had  all  along  been  burning  at  the  bot- 
tom of  their  hearts,  and  which  they  could  no  longer  sup- 
press: "We  have  a  law,"  they  cried,  "and  by  that  law 
He  ought  to  die,  because  He  made  Himself  the  Son  of 
God."  But  these  words  struck  a  chord  in  Pilate's  mind 
which  they  had  not  thought  of.  In  the  ancient  traditions 
of  his  native  land  there  were  many  legends  of  sons  of  the 
gods,  who  in  the  days  of  old  had  walked  the  earth  in  hum- 
ble guise,  so  that  they  were  indistinguishable  from  common 
men.  It  was  dangerous  to  meet  them,  for  an  injury  done 
them  mio;ht  brinor"  down  on  the  offender  the  wrath  of  the 
gods,  their  sires.  Faith  in  these  antique  myths  had  long 
died  out,  because  no  men  were  seen  on  earth  so  different 
from  their  neighbors  as  to  require  such  an  explanation. 
But  in  Jesus  Pilate  had  discerned  an  inexplicable  some- 
thino-  which  affected  him  with  a  vao^ue  terror.  And  now 
the  words  of  the  mob,  "  He  made  Himself  the  Son  of 
God,"  came  like  a  flash  of  lightning.  They  brought  back 
out  of  the  recesses  of  his  memory  the  old,  forgotten  stories 
of  his  childhood,  and  revived  the  heathen  terror,  which 
forms  the  theme  of  some  of  the  greatest  Greek  dramas,  of 
committino;  unawares  a  crime  which  misrht  evoke  the  dire 
vengeance  of  Heaven.  Might  not  Jesus  be  the  Son  of  the 
Hebrew  Jehovah  —  so  his  heathen  mind  reasoned  —  as  Cas- 
tor and  Pollux  were  the  sons  of  Jupiter?  He  hastily  look 
Him  inside  the  palace  again,  and,  looking  at  Him  with  new 
awe    and   curiosity,    asked,   "Whence    art    Thou?"      But 


140  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

Jesus  answered  him  not  one  word.  Pilate  had  not  listened 
to  Him  when  He  wished  to  explain  everything  to  him;  he 
had  outraged  his  own  sense  of  justice  by  scourging  Him; 
and  if  a  man  turns  his  back  on  Christ  when  He  speaks,  the 
hour,  will  come  when  he  will  ask  and  receive  no  answer. 
The  proud  governor  was  both  surprised  and  irritated,  and 
demanded,  "  Speakest  Thou  not  to  mo?  Knowest  Thou  not 
that  I  have  power  to  crucify  Thee,  and  have  power  to  re- 
lease Thee?"  to  which  Jesus  answered  with  the  indescri- 
bable dignity  of  which  the  brutal  shame  of  His  torture 
had  in  no  way  robbed  Him,  "  Thou  couldst  have  no  power 
at  all  against  Me,  except  it  were  given  thee  from  above." 
187.  Pilate  had  boasted  of  his  power  to  do  w^hat  he 
chose  with  the  prisoner;  but  he  was  in  reality  very  weak. 
He  came  forth  from  his  private  interview  determined  at 
once  to  release  Him.  The  Jews  saw  it  in  His  face;  and  it 
made  them  bring  out  their  last  weapon,  which  they  had  all 
along  been  keeping  in  reserve:  they  threatened  to  com- 
plain against  him  to  the  emperor.  This  was  the  meaning 
of  the  cry  with  which  they  interrupted  his  first  words,  "  If 
thou  let  this  man  go,  thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend."  This 
had  been  in  both  their  minds  and  his  all  through  the  trial. 
It  was  this  which  made  him  so  irresolute.  There  was  no- 
thing a  Roman  governor  dreaded  so  much  as  a  complaint 
against  him  sent  by  his  subjects  to  the  emperor.  At  this 
time  it  was  specially  perilous;  for  the  imperial  throne  was 
occupied  by  a  morbid  and  suspicious  tyrant,  who  delighted 
in  disgracing  his  own  servants,  and  would  kindle  in  a  mo- 
ment at  the  whisper  of  any  of  his  subordinates  favoring  a 
pretender  to  royal  power.  Pilate  knew  too  well  that,  his 
administration  could  not  bear  inspection,  for  it  had  been 
cruel  and  corrupt  in  the  extreme.  Nothing  is  able  so  per- ■ 
emptorily  to  forbid  a  man  to  do  the  good  he  would  do  as 
the  evil  of  his  past  life.     This  was  the  blast  of  temptation 


THE    END.  141 

which  finally  swept  Pilate  off  his  feet,  just  when  he  had 
made  up  his  mind  to  obey  his  conscience.  He  was  no  hero, 
who  would  obey  his  convictions  at  any  cost.  He  was  a 
thorough  man  of  the  world,  and  saw  at  once  that  he  must 
surrender  Jesus  to  their  will. 

188.  However,  he  was  full  not  only  of  rage  at  being  so 
completely  foiled,  but  also  of  an  overpowering  religious 
dread.  Calling  for  water,  he  washed  his  hands  in  the 
presence  of  the  multitude,  and  cried,  "  T  am  innocent  of 
the  blood  of  this  just  Person."  He  washed  his  hands  when 
he  should  have  exerted  them.  Blood  is  not  so  easily 
washed  off.  But  the  mob,  now  completely  triumphant,  de- 
rided his  scruples,  rending  the  air  with  the  cry,  "  His  blood 
be  upon  us  and  on  our  children!  " 

189.  Pilate  felt  the  insult  keenly,  and,  turning  on  them 
in  his  anger,  determined  that  he,  too,  should  have  his  tri- 
umph. Thrusting  Jesus  forward  more  prominently  into 
view,  he  began  to  mock  them  by  pretending  to  regard  Him 
as  really  their  king,  and  asking,  "  Shall  I  crucify  your 
king?"  It  was  now  their  turn  to  feel  the  sting  of  mockery; 
and  they  cried  out,  "  We  have  no  king  but  Cagsar."  What 
a  confession  from  Jewish  lips!  It  was  the  surrender  of  the 
freedom  and  the  history  of  the  nation,  Pilate  took  them 
at  their  word,  and  forthwith  handed  Jesus  over  to  be  cruci- 
fied. 

190.  The  Crucifixion. —  They  had  succeeded  in  wresting 
their  victim  from  Pilate's  unwilling  hands,  "and  they  took 
Jesus  and  led  Him  away."  At  length  they  were  able  to 
gratify  their  hatred  to  the  uttermost,  and  they  hurried  Him 
off  to  the  place  of  execution  with  every  demonstration  of 
inhuman  triumph.  The  actual  executioners  were  the  sol- 
diers of  the  governer's  guarc^;  but  in  moral  significance  the 
deed  belonged  entirely  to  the   Jewish  authorities.     They 


143  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

could  not  leave  it  in  charge  of  the  minions  of  the  law  to 
whom  it  belonged,  but  with  undignified  eagerness  headed 
the  procession  themselves,  in  order  to  feast  their  vindic- 
tiveness  on  the  sio-ht  of  His  sufferings. 

191.  It  must  by  this  time  have  been  about  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  The  crowd  at  the  palace  had  been  grad- 
ually swelling.  As  the  fatal  jjrocession,  headed  by  the 
Sanhedrists,  passed  on  through  the  streets,  it  attracted 
great  multitudes.  It  happened  to  be  a  Passover  holiday, 
so  that  there  w^ere  thousands  of  idlers,  prepared  for  any 
excitement.  All  those  especiall}'^  who  had  been  inoculated 
with  the  fanaticism  of  the  authorities  poured  forth  to  wit- 
ness the  execution.  It  was  therefore  throuo-h  the  midst  of 
myriads  of  cruel  and  unsympathizing  onlookers  that  Jesus 
went  to  His  death. 

192.  The  spot  where  He  suffered  can  not  now  be  iden- 
tified. It  was  outside  the  arates  of  the  citv,  and  was  doubt- 
less  the  common  place  of  execution.  It  is  usually  called 
Mount  Calvary,  but  there  is  nothing  in  the  Gospels  to  jus- 
tify such  a  name,  nor  does  there  seem  to  be  any  hill  in  the 
neighborhood  on  which  it  could  have  taken  place.  The 
name  Golgotha,  "place  of  a  skull,"  may  signify  a  skull-like 
knoll,  but  more  probably  refers  to  the  ghastly  relics  of  the 
tragedies  happening  there  that  might  be  lying  about.  It 
was  probably  a  wide,  open  space,  in  which  a  multitude  of 
spectators  might  assemble;  and  it  appears  to  have  been  on 
the  side  of  a  much  frequented  thoroughfare,  for,  besides 
the  stationary  spectators,  there  were  others  passing  to  and 
fro  who  joined  in  mocking  the  Sufferer. 

193.  Crucifixion  was  an  unspeakably  horrible  death. 
As  Cicero,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  it,  says,  it  was 
the  most  cruel  and  shameful  of  all  punishments.  "  Let  it 
never,"  he  adds,  "come  near  the  body  of  a  Roman  citizen; 
nay,  not  even  near  his  thoughts,  or  eyes,  or  ears."     It  was 


THE    END.  143 

reserved  for  slaves  and  revolutionaries  whose  end  was 
meant  to  be  marked  with  special  infamy.  Nothing  could 
be  more  unnatural  and  revolting  than  to  suspend  a  living 
man  in  such  a  position.  The  idea  of  it  seems  to  have  been 
suggested  by  the  practice  of  nailing  up  vermin  in  a  kind 
of  revengeful  merriment  on  some  exposed  place.  Had  the 
end  come  with  the  first  strokes  in  the  wounds,  it  would  still 
have  been  an  awful  death.  But  the  victim  usually  lingered 
two  or  three  days,  with  the  burning  pain  of  the  nails  in  his 
hands  and  feet,  the  torture  of  overcharged  veins,  and, 
worst  of  all,  his  intolerable  thirst,  constantly  increasing. 
It  was  impossible  to  help  moving  the  body  so  as  to  get  re- 
lief from  each  new  attitude  of  pain;  yet  every  movement 
brought  new  and  excruciating  agony. 

194.  But  we  gladly  turn  away  from  the  awful  sight,  to 
think  how  by  His  strength  of  soul.  His  resignation,  and 
His  love,  Jesus  triumphed  over  the  shame,  the  cruelty,  and 
horror  of  it;  and  how,  as  the  sunset  with  its  crimson  glory 
makes  even  the  putrid  pool  burn  like  a  shield  of  gold  and 
drenches  with  brilliance  the  vilest  object  held  up  against 
its  beams,  He  converted  the  symbol  of  slavery  and  wicked- 
ness into  a  symbol  for  whatever  is  most  pure  and  glorious 
in  the  world.  The  head  hung  free  in  crucifixion,  so  that 
He  was  able  not  only  to  see  what  was  going  on  beneath 
Him,  but  also  to  speak.  He  uttered  seven  sentences  at  in- 
tervals, which  have  been  preserved  to  us.  They  are  seven 
windows  by  which  we  can  still  look  into  His  very  mind  and 
heart,  and  learn  the  impressions  made  on  Him  by  what  was 
happening.  They  show  that  He  retained  unimpaired  the 
serenity  and  majesty  which  had  characterized  Him  through- 
out His  trial,  and  exhibited  in  their  fullest  exercise  all  the 
qualities  which  had  already  made  His  character  illustrious. 
He  triumphed  over  His  suff"erings  not  by  the  cold  severity 
of  a   Stoic,   but  by  self- forgetting*    love.     When    He   was 


144  THE    LIFE    OP    JESUS    CHRIST. 

fainting  beneath  the  burden  of  the  cross  in  the  Via  Dolo- 
rosa, He  forgot  His  fatigue  in  His  anxiety  for  the  daughters 
of  Jerusalem  and  their  children.  When  they  were  nailing 
Him  to  the  tree,  He  was  absorbed  in  a  prayer  for  His  mur- 
derers. He  quenched  the  pain  of  the  first  hours  of  cruci- 
fixion by  His  interest  in  the  penitent  thief  and  His  care  to 
provide  a  new  home  for  His  mother.  He  never  was  more 
completely  Himself —  the  absolutely  unselfish  Worker  for 
others. 

195.  It  was,  indeed,  only  through  His  love  that  He 
could  be  deeply  wounded.  His  physical  sufferings,  though 
intense  and  prolonged,  were  not  greater  than  have  been 
borne  by  many  other  sufferers,  unless  the  exquisiteness  of 
His  bodily  organism  may  have  heightened  them  to  a  degree 
which  to  other  men  is  inconceivable.  He  did  not  linger 
more  than  five  hours  —  a  space  of  time  so  much  briefer 
than  usual,  that  the  soldiers,  who  were  about  to  break  His 
legs,  were  surprised  to  find  Him  already  dead.  His  worst 
sufferings  were  those  of  the  mind.  He  whose  very  life 
was  love,  who  thirsted  for  love  as  the  hart  pants  for  the 
water-brooks,  was  encircled  with  a  sea  of  hatred  and  of 
dark,  bitter,  hellish  passion,  that  surged  round  Him  and 
flung  up  its  waves  about  His  cross.  His  soul  was  spotlessly 
pure;  holiness  was  its  very  life;  but  sin  pressed  itself 
against  it,  endeavoring  to  force  upon  it  its  loathsome  con- 
tact, from  which  it  shrank  through  every  fiber.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  Sanhedrim  took  the  lead  in  venting  on  Him 
every  possible  expression  of  contempt  and  malicious  hate, 
and  the  populace  faithfully  followed  their  example.  These 
were  the  men  He  had  loved  and  still  loved  with  an  unquench- 
able passion;  and  they  insulted,  crushed,  and  trampled  on 
His  love.  Through  their  lips  the  Evil  One  reiterated  again 
and  again  the  temptation  by  which  He  had  been  all  His 
life  assaulted,  to  save   Himself  and  win  the  faith  of  the 


THE    END.  145 

nation  by  some  display  of  supernatural  power  made  for 
His  own  advantage.  That  seething  mass  of  human  beings, 
whose  faces,  distorted  with  passion,  glared  upon  Him,  was 
an  epitome  of  the  wickedness  of  the  human  race.  His 
eyes  had  to  look  down  on  it,  and  its  coarseness,  its  sadness, 
its  dishonor  of  God,  its  exhibition  of  the  shame  of  human 
nature  were  like  a  sheaf  of  spears  gathered  in  His  breast. 

196.  There  was  a  still  more  mysterious  woe.  Not  only 
did  the  world's  sin  thus  press  itself  on  His  lovnng  and  holy 
soul  in  those  near  Him;  it  came  from  afar, — from  the  past, 
the  distant,  and  the  future, — and  met  on  Him.  He  was 
bearing  the  sin  of  the  world;  and  the  consuming  fire  of 
God's  nature,  which  is  the  reverse  side  of  the  light  of  His 
holiness  and  love,  flamed  forth  against  Him,  to  scorch  it 
away.  So  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  put  Him  to  grief,  when  He 
who  knew  no  sin  was  made  sin  for  us. 

197.  These  were  the  sufferings  which  made  the  cross 
appalling.  After  some  two  hours.  He  withdrew  Himself 
completely  from  the  outer  world  and  turned  His  face  to- 
wards the  eternal  world.  At  the  same  time  a  strange  dark- 
ness overspread  the  land,  and  Jerusalem  trembled  beneath 
a  cloud  whose  murky  shadows  looked  like  a  gathering 
doom.  Golgotha  was  well-nigh  deserted.  He  hung  long 
silent  amidst  the  darkness  without  and  the  darkness  within, 
till  at  length,  out  of  the  depths  of  an  anguish  which  human 
thought  will  never  fathom,  there  issued  the  cry,  "  My  God, 
my  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me?  "  It  was  the  moment 
when  the  soul  of  the  Suff'erer  touched  the  very  bottom  of 
His  misery. 

198.  But  the  darkness  passed  from  the  landscape  and 
the  sun  shone  forth  again.  The  spirit  of  Christ,  too, 
emerged  from  its  eclipse.  With  the  strength  of  victory 
won  in  the  final  struggle.  He  cried,  "It  is  finished!"  and 
then,  with  perfect  serenity,  breathed  out  His  life  on  a  verse 

K  7 


146  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

of  a  favorite  psalm:  "Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend 

My  spirit." 

199.  The  Resurrection  and  Ascension — There  never 
was  an  enterprise  in  the  world  which  seemed  more  com- 
pletely at  an  end  than  did  that  of  Jesus  on  the  last  Old 
Testament  Sabbath.  Christianity  died  with  Christ,  and 
was  laid  with  Him  in  the  sepulcher.  It  is  true  that  when, 
looking  back  at  this  distance,  we  see  the  stone  rolled  to  the 
mouth  of  the  tomb,  we  experience  little  emotion;  for  we 
are  in  the  secret  of  Providence  and  know  what  is  going  to 
happen.  But  when  He  w-as  buried,  there  was  not  a  single 
human  being  that  believed  He  would  ever  rise  again  before 
the  day  of  the  world's  doom. 

200.  The  Jewish  authorities  were  thoroughly  satisfied 
of  this.  Death  ends  all  controversies,  and  it  had  settled 
the  one  between  Him  and  them  triumphantly  in  their  favor. 
He  had  put  Himself  forward  as  their  Messiah,  but  had 
scarcely  any  of  the  marks  which  they  looked  for  in  one 
with  such  claims.  He  had  never  received  any  important 
national  recoirnition.  His  followers  were  few  and  uninflu- 
ential.  His  career  had  been  short.  He  was  in  the  grave. 
Nothing  more  was  to  be  thought  of  Him. 

201.  The  breakdown  of  the  disciples  had  been  complete. 
When  He  was  arrested,  "  they  all  forsook  Him  and  fled." 
Peter,  indeed,  followed  Him  to  the  high-priest's  palace,  but 
only  to  fall  more  ignominiously  than  the  rest.  John  fol- 
lowed even  to  Golgotha,  and  may  have  hoped  against  hope 
that,  at  the  very  last  moment.  He  might  descend  from  the 
cross  to  ascend  the  Messianic  throne.  But  even  the  last 
moment  went  by  with  nothing  done.  What  remained  for 
them  but  to  return  to  their  homes  and  their  fishing  as  dis- 
appointed men,  who  would  be  twitted  during  the  rest  of 
their  lives  with  the   folly   of    following   a   pretender,  and 


THE    END.  147 

asked  where  the  thrones  were  which  He  had  promised  to 
seat  them  on  ? 

202.  Jesus  had,  indeed,  foretold  His  sufferings,  death, 
and  resurrection.  But  they  never  understood  these  say- 
ings; they  forgot  them  or  gave  them  an  allegorical  turn; 
and,  when  He  was  actually  dead,  these  yielded  them  no 
comfort  whatever.  The  women  came  to  the  sepulcher  on 
the  first  Christian  Sabbath,  not  to  see  it  empty,  but  to  em- 
balm His  body  for  its  long  sleep.  Mary  ran  to  tell  the  dis- 
ciples, not  that  He  was  risen,  but  that  the  body  had  been 
taken  away  and  laid  she  knew  not  where.  When  the 
women  told  the  other  disciples  how  He  had  met  .them, 
"their  words  seemed  to  them  as  idle  tales  and  they  be- 
lieved them  not."  Peter  and  .John,  as  John  himself  informs 
us,  "  knew  not  the  Scripture,  that  He  should  rise  from  the 
dead."  Could  anything  be  more  pathetic  than  the  words 
of  the  two  travelers  to  Emmaus,  "  We  trusted  that  it  had 
been  He  which  should  have  redeemed  Israel?"  When  the 
disciples  were  met  together,  "  they  mourned  and  wept." 
There  never  were  men  more  utterly  disappointed  and 
dispirited. 

203.  But  we  can  now  be  glad  that  they  were  so  sad. 
They  doubted  that  we  might  believe.  For  how  is  it  to  be 
accounted  for,  that  in  a  few  days  afterwards  these  very  men 
were  full  of  confidence  and  joy,  their  faith  in  Jesus  had 
revived,  and  the  enterprise  of  Christianity  was  again  in 
motion  with  a  far  vaster  vitality  than  it  had  ever  before 
possessed?  They  say  the  reason  of  this  was  that  Jesus  had 
risen,  and  they  had  seen  Him.  They  tell  us  about  their 
visits  to  the  empty  tomb,  and  how  He  appeared  to  Mary 
Magdalene,  to  the  other  women,  to  Peter,  to  the  two  on  the 
way  to  Emmaus,  to  ten  of  them  at  once,  to  eleven  of  them 
at  on€e,  to  James,  to  the  five  hundred,  and  so  forth.  Are 
these  stories  credible?     They  might  not  be,  if  they  stood 


148  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

alone.  But  the  alleged  resurrection  of  Christ  was  accom- 
panied by  the  indisputable  resurrection  of  Christianity. 
And  how  is  the  latter  to  be  accounted  for  except  by  the 
former?  It  might,  indeed,  be  said  that  Jesus  had  filled 
their  minds  with  imperial  dreams,  which  He  failed  to  real- 
ize; and  that,  having  once  caught  sight  of  so  magnificent 
a  career,  they  were  unable  to  return  to  their  fishing-nets, 
and  so  invented  this  story,  in  order  to  carry  on  the  scheme 
on  their  own'  account.  Or  it  might  be  said  that  they  only 
fancied  they  saw  what  they  tell  about  the  Risen  One.  But 
the  remarkable  thing  is  that,  when  they  resumed  their  faith 
in  Him,  they  were  found  to  be  no  longer  pursuing  worldly 
ends,  but  intensely  spiritual  ones;  they  were  no  longer  ex- 
pecting thrones,  but  persecution  and  death;  yet  they  ad- 
dressed 'themselves  to  their  new  work  with  a  breadth  of 
intelligence,  an  ardor  of  devotion,  and  a  faith  in  results 
which  they  had  never  shown  before.  As  Christ  rose  from 
the  dead  in  a  transfigured  body,  so  did  Christianity.  It 
had  put  off"  its  carnality.  What  effected  this  change? 
They  say  it  was  the  resurrection  and  the  sight  of  the  risen 
Christ.  But  their  testimony  is  not  the  proof  that  He  rose. 
The  incontestable  proof  is  the  change  itself,  —  the  fact  that 
suddenly  they  had  become  courageous,  hopeful,  believing, 
wise,  possessed  with  noble  and  reasonable  views  of  the 
world's  future,  and  equipped  with  resources  sufficient  to 
found  the  Church,  convert  the  world,  and  establish  Chris- 
tianity in  its  purity  among  men.  Between  the  last  Old 
Testament  Sabbath  and  the  time,  a  few  weeks  afterwards, 
when  this  stupendous  change  had  undeniably  taken  place, 
some  event  must  have  intervened  which  can  be  regarded 
as  a  sufficient  cause  for  so  great  an  efi'ect.  The  resurrec- 
tion alone  answers  the  exigencies  of  the  problem,  and  is 
therefore  proved  by  a  demonstration  far  more  cogent  than 
perhaps  any  testimony  could  be.     It  is  a  happy  thing  that 


THE   END.  149 

this  event  is  capable  of  such  a  proof;  for,  if  Christ  be  not 
risen,  our  faith  is  vain;  but  if  He  be  risen,  then  the  whole 
of  His  miraculous  life  becomes  credible,  for  this  was  the 
greatest  of  all  the  miracles;  His  divine  mission  is  demon- 
strated, for  it  must  have  been  God  who  raised  Him  up; 
and  the  most  assuring  glance  which  history  affords  is  given 
into  the  realities  of  the  eternal  world. 

204.  The  risen  Christ  lingered  on  earth  long  enough 
fully  to  satisfy  His  adherents  of  the  truth  of  His  resurrec- 
tion. They  were  not  easily  convinced.  The  apostles 
treated  the  reports  of  the  holy  women  with  scornful 
incredulity;  Thomas  doubted  the  testimony  of  the  other 
apostles;  and  some  of  the  five  hundred  to  whom  He  appeared 
on  a  Galilean  mountain  doubted  their  own  eyesight,  and 
only  believed  when  they  heard  His  voice.  The  loving 
patience  with  which  He  treated  these  doubters  showed 
that,  though  *His  bodily  appearance  was  somewhat  changed. 
He  was  still  the  same  in  heart  as  ever.  This  was  pathetic- 
ally shown  too  by  the  places  w^hich  He  visited  in  His  glori- 
fied form.  They  were  the  old  haunts  where  He  had  prayed 
and  preached,  labored  and  suffered, —  the  Galilean  moun- 
tain, the  well-beloved  lake,  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  village 
of  Bethany,  and,  above  all,  Jerusalem,  the  fatal  city  which 
had  murdered  her  own  Son,  but  which  He  could  not  cease 
to  love. 

205.  Yet  there  were  obvious  indications  that  He  be- 
longed no  more  to  this  lower  world.  There  was  a  new 
reserve  about  His  risen  humanity.  He  forbade  Mary  to 
touch  Him,  when  she  would  have  kissed  His  feet.  He 
appeared  in  the  midst  of  His  own  with  mysterious  sudden- 
ness, and  just  as  suddenly  vanished  out  of  sight.  He  was 
only  now  and  then  in  their  company,  no  longer  according 
them  the  constant  and  familiar  intercourse  of  former  days. 
At  length,  at  the  end  of  forty  days,  when  the  purpose  for 


150  THE   LIFE    OP   JESUS   CHRIST. 

which  He  had  lingered  on  earth  was  fully,  accomplished 
and  the  apostles  were  ready  in  the  power  of  their  new  joy 
to  bear  to  all  nations  the  tidings  of  His  life  and  work,  His 
glorified  humanity  was  received  up  into  that  world  to  which 
it  rightfully  belonged.* 


No  life  ends  even  for  this  world  when  the  body  by 
which  it  has  for  a  little  been  made  visible  disappears  from 
the  face  of  the  earth.  It  enters  into  the  stream  of  the  ever- 
swelling  life  of  mankind,  and  continues  to  act  there  with 
its  whole  force  for  evermore.  Indeed,  the  true  magnitude 
of  a  human  being  can  often  only  be  measured  by  what  this 
after-life  shows  him  to  have  been.  So  it  was  with  Christ. 
The  modest  narrative  of  the  Gospels  scarcely  prepares  us 
for  the  outburst  of  creative  force  which  issued  from  His 
life  when  it  appeared  to  have  ended.  His  influence  on  the 
modern  world  is  the  evidence  of  how  great  He  was;  for 
there  must  have  been  in  the  cause  as  much  as  there  is  in 
the  effect.  It  has  overspread  the  life  of  man  and  caused 
it  to  blossom  with  the  vigor  of  a  spiritual  spring.  It  has 
absorbed  into  itself  all  other  influences,  as  a  mighty  river, 
pouring  along  the  center  of  a  continent,  receives  tributa- 
ries from  a  hundred  hills.  And  its  quality  has  been  even 
more  exceptional  than  its  quantity. 

But  the  most  important  evidence  of  what  He  was,  is  to 
be  found  neither  in  the  general  history  of  modern  civiliza- 
tion nor  in  the  public  history  of  the  visible  Church,  but  in 
the  experiences  of  the  succession  of  genuine  believers, 
who  with  linked  hands  stretch  back  to  touch  Him  through 
the  Christian  generations.  The  experience  of  myriads  of 
souls,  redeemed  by  Him  from  themselves  and  from  the 
world,  proves  that  history  was  cut  in  twain  by  the  appear- 
ance of  a  Regenerator,  who  was  not  a  mere  link  in  the 
chain  of  common  men,  but  One  whom  the  race  could  not 
from  its  own  resources  have  produced  —  the  perfect  Type, 
the  Man  of  men.     The  experience  of  myriads  of  conscien- 

161 


152  THE   LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

ces,  the  most  sensitive  to  both  the  holiness  of  the  Divine 
Being  and  their  own  sinfulness  that  the  world  has  ever  seen 
yet  able  to  rejoice  in  a  peace  with  God  which  has  been 
found  the  most  potent  motive  of  a  holy  life,  proves  that  in 
the  midst  of  the  ages  there  was  wrought  out  an  act  of  rec- 
onciliation by  which  sinful  men  may  be  made  one  with  a 
holy  God.  The  experience  of  myriads  of  minds,  rendered 
blessed  by  the  vision  of  a  God  who  to  the  eye  purified  by 
the  Word  of  Christ  is  so  completely  Light  that  in  Him 
there  is  no  darkness  at  all,  proves  that  the  final  revelation 
of  the  Eternal  to  the  world  has  been  made  by  One  who 
knew  Him  so  well  that  He  could  not  Himself  have  been 
less  than  Divine. 

The  life  of  Christ  in  history  can  not  cease.  His  in- 
fluence waxes  more  and  more;  the  dead  nations  are  waiting 
till  it  reach  them,  and  it  is  the  hope  of  the  earnest  spirits 
that  are  brino^inor  in  the  new  earth.  All  discoveries  of  the 
modern  world,  every  development  of  juster  ideas,  of  higher 
powers,  of  more  exquisite  feelings  in  mankind,  are  only 
new  helps  to  interpret  Him;  and  the  lifting-up  of  life  to 
the  level  of  His  ideas  and  character  is  the  programme  of 
the  human  race. 


HINTS   FOR   TEACHERS   AND    QUESTIONS   FOR 

PUPILS. 

It  will  be  observed  that  what  has  been  attempted  in  the 
foregoing  pages  has  been  to  throw  into  prominence  the 
great  masses  of  our  Lord's  life,  and  point  clearly  out  its 
hinge-events,  details  being  as  much  as  possible  curtailed. 
These  details  are  more  popularly  known  than  any  other 
part  of  human  knowledge;  what  most  readers  of  the  Gos- 
pels need  is  a  scheme  let  down  on  the  details,  in  whose 
divisions  they  will  naturally  arrange  themselves,  so  that  the 
life  may  present  itself  to  the  eye  as  a  whole;  and  an  en- 
deavor has  here  been  made  to  supply  this  want.  But  in  a 
Bible-class  course  extending  beyond  twelve  or  fifteen  les- 
sons, more  of  the  details  might  be  introduced  with  advan- 
tage. There  is  therefore  subjoined  the  outline  of  a  more 
extended  course,  along  with  a  few  questions  on  the  text 
intended  to  stimulate  pupils  to  further  thought  and  inquiry.* 

Preliminary. 

/.  Character/stfcs  of  the  Four  Gospels. — Matthev)  — 
Hebrew  thought  and  diction;  well  acquainted  with  Old 
Testament  in  the  original;  frequent  quotations,  "That  it 
might  be  fulfilled;  "  aim  to  prove  that  Jesus  was  the  Mes- 

*As  a  teacher's  apparatus  I  would  recommend— (1)  Andrews'  Bible  StudenVs 
Life  of  our'Lord,  an  unpretentious  but  excellent  book,  in  which  the  apologetic  diffi- 
culties in  the  details  of  the  life  are  treated  with  much  candor  and  success;  (2)  Ne- 
ander's  Lt/e  0/ C?irist  (Bohn  series),  the  best  life,  in  my  opinion,  yet  published, 
though  sadly  marred  by  too  great  concessions  to  the  spirit  of  denial,  which  had 
reached  its  climax  in  Germany  at  the  time  when  it  was  written;  and  (3)  Farrar's 
well-known  Life,  which  will  lend  vividness  to  the  teacher's  remarks.  These  books, 
along  with  a  good  Commentary  on  the  Gospels,  a  Harmony  of  the  Gospels,  and  a 
Handliook  of  Bible  Geography,  are  sufficient.  Eugene  Stock's  Lessons  on  the  Life 
of  mir  Lord  are  familiar  to  Sabbath-school  teachers. 

153 


154  THE   LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

siah;  "the  kingdom  "  very  prominent;  methodical  group- 
ings and  combinations  ;  group  of  parables,  chaps,  xiii., 
xxiv.,  XXV.;  of  miracles,  chaps,  viii.,  ix.  Mark — Graphic 
and  epic;  supposed  to  be  pupil  of  Peter,  whose  fiery  spirit 
pervades  his  book;  poetic  objectivity  and  minuteness;  de- 
tails as  to  the  looks  and  gestures  of  Jesus,  the  amazement 
He  created,  etc.;  aim  to  show  how  He  proved  Himself  to 
be  the  Messianic  King  by  a  succession  of  astonishing 
deeds  ;  stormful  haste,  "  forthwith,"  "  immediately,"  and 
the  like,  very  frequent.  Luke  —  More  of  the  trained  his- 
torian than  the  other  Evangelists;  Hellenic  grace  of  style; 
series  of  cameos;  gives  reasons  of  events  ;  philosophic  ; 
psychological  comments;  Pauline  spirit  and  universality; 
Christ  not  only  for  the  Jews  but  for  mankind;  genealogy 
of  Jesus  traced  back  beyond  Abraham.  John  —  Supplies 
what  the  other  Evangelists  omitted;  dwells  specially  on 
the  work  of  Jesus  in  Judaea;  His  private  interviews;  His 
interior  life;  His  most  profound  and  mysterious  sayings; 
lyric  fervor,  profundity,  and  sublimity  of  farewell  dis- 
courses. (See  Lange,  Life  of  Christy  i.  243-285,  and  arti- 
cle by  Professor  Bruce  in  Catholic  Presbyterian  for  July, 
1879.) 

2.  When  were  our  Gospels  Written  ?  —  See  Tischendorf's 
little  pamphlet  of  this  name  (translation  published  by  Lon- 
don Tract  Society);  Lange,  vol.  i.;  Westcott  on  The  Study 
of  the  Gospels.  It  would  probably  be  out  of  place  in  a 
Bible-class  course  to  go  at  any  length  into  this  vexed  and 
vast  question.  The  most  important  point  is  the  date  of 
John's  Gospel;  see  Luthardt,  yiS^.  Loh7i  the  Author  of  the 
Fourth  Gospel  (Clark).  "  The  man  who  hides  from  him- 
self what  Christianity  and  the  Christian  revelation  are  takes 
the  parts  of  it  to  pieces,  and  persuades  himself  that  with- 
out divine  interposition  he  can  account  for  all  the  pieces. 


HINTS    AND    QUESTIONS.  155 

Here  is  something  from  the  Jews  and  something  from  the 
Greeks.  Here  are  miracles  that  may  be  partly  odd  natural 
events,  partly  nervous  impressions,  and  partly  gradually 
growing  legends.  Here  are  books,  of  which  we  may  say 
that  this  element  was  contributed  by  this  party,  and  the 
other  by  that,  and  the  general  coloring  by  people  who  held 
partly  of  both.  In  such  ways  as  these  Christianity  is  taken 
down  and  spread  over  several  centuries.  But  when  your 
operation  is  done,  the  living  whole  draws  itself  together 
again,  looks  you  in  the  face,  refuses  to  be  conceived  in  that 
manner,  reclaims  its  scattered  members  from  the  other  cen- 
turies back  to  the  first,  and  re-asserts  itself  to  be  a  great 
burst  of  coherent  life  and  light,  centering  in  Christ.  Just 
so  you  might  take  to  pieces  a  living  tissue,  and  say  there  is 
here  only  so  much  nitrogen,  carbon,  lime,  and  so  forth; 
but  the  energetic  peculiarities  of  life  going  on  before  your 
eyes  would  refute  you  by  the  palpable  presence  of  a  mys- 
tery unaccounted  for."  (Principal  Rainy,  New  College 
Inaugural  Address,  1874.) 

3.  Other  Sources  of  the  Life  of  Jesus. —  References  in 
Josephus,  Tacitus,  etc.,  of  little  moment  except  to  show 
how  small  insight  these  observers  had  into  the  most  im- 
portant event  of  their  times.  Jewish  history  and  antiqui- 
ties explain  the  period.  Ancient  history  exhibits  "the  full- 
ness of  time."     Geography  of  Palestine. 

4.  The  Annunciation.  Prophecy  of  Baptist's  birth. 
Visit  of  Mary  to  Elizabeth.  Events  connected  with  John's 
birth. 

1.  For  what  reasons  may  the  Life  of  Christ  he  regarded  as  the  most 

interesting  subject  of  human  thought  ? 
3.  Why  are  tlie  first  three  Emngelists  called  the  Synoptistsf 
3.  What  is  the  meaning  of  tJie  saying  tlmt  the  scenery  of  Palestine 

is  the  fifth  Gospel? 


156  THE   LIFE   OF   JESUS   CHRIST. 


Chapter  I. 


Par.  1.  On  the  exact  date  of  the  birth  of  Jesus,  see  the 
essays  at  the  beginning  of  Andrews'  Life.  Luke's  state- 
ment that  the  taxing  took  place  "when  Cyrenius  was  gov- 
ernor of  Syria  "  used  to  be  pointed  to  as  a  mistake,  Cyre- 
nius having  been  governor  ten  years  later;  but  the  discov- 
ery that  Cyrenius  was  twice  governor  (see  Andrews,  3-6, 
70-73)  is  a  remarkable  instance  of  how  alleged  mistakes 
in  the  Gospels  are  often  made  to  disappear  by  further 
inquiry. 

2.  On  the  genealogies  in  Matthew  and  Luke,  see  An- 
drews, in  loc. 

3.  On  Bethlehem,  see  Stanley,  Sinai  and  Palestine. 

4.  It  has  often  been  attempted  to  throw  discredit  on 
the  story  of  our  Lord's  supernatural  origin  by  comparing 
it  to  the  heathen  stories  of  how  sons  of  the  gods  were  born 
of  mortal  mothers;  but,  first,  such  an  idea  was  utterly  re- 
pugnant to  the  Jewish  conception  of  God,  and  could  not 
spring  up  on  Jewish  soil;  and,  secondly,  even  these  stories, 
poured  forth  from  the  heathen  mind,  were  indications  of  a 
deep  sense  in  humanity  of  the  need  of  the  Incarnation. 

9.  On  the  star,  see  Andrews  and  Pressense,  in  loc. 

10.  The  Herods  of  the  New  Testament — 1.  Herod  the 
Great,  in  whose  reign  Jesus  was  born,  reigned  over  the 
whole  of  Palestine;  died  very  soon  after  Jesus'  birth;  his 
kingdom  was  divided  at  his  death  among  his  sons.  2. 
Herod  Antipas,  son  of  the  former,  was  at  his  father's  death 
made  tetrarch  of  Galilee  and  Peraea;  the  murderer  of  the 
Baptist;  Jesus  was  sent  to  him  by  Pilate.  3.  Herod 
Agrippa  I.,  grandson  of  Herod  the  Great,  had  as  great 
dominions  as  he;  put  to  death  James,  and  imprisoned  Peter; 


HINTS    AND    QUESTIONS.  157 

died  miserably,  as  is  related  in  Acts  xii.  4.  Herod  Agrip- 
pa  II.,  son  of  Agrippa  I. ;  Paul  appeared  before  him, Acts  xxv. 

10.  Archelaus  was  soon  deposed  from  the  throne  of 
Judeea,  which  became  a  part  of  the  Roman  province  of 
Syria. 

//.  Farrar's  chapter  on  the  Youth  of  Jesus  is  particularly 
good. 

16.  There  are  three  opinions  as  to  the  brothers  and 
sisters  of  Jesus:  first,  that  they  were  His  full  brothers  and 
sisters;  secondly,  that  they  were  the  children  of  Joseph  by 
a  former  marriage;  thirdly,  that  they  were  His  cousins. 
The  Greek  word  for  "  brethren  "  is  used  with  such  latitude 
as  to  cover  all  these  meanings.  See  the  note  in  Plumptre's 
Introduction  to  the  Epistle  of  James. 

9.  To  wTmt  extent  must  this  star  have  been  supernatural  ? 

18.  What  portions  of  Scripture  were  most  quoted  by  Jesus  ?  What 
is  the  Septuagint  ?  What  indications  are  there  tJiat  Jesus 
did  not  generally  speak  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  hut 
thought  His  discourses  carefully  out  beforehand  ? 

22.  What  views  has  Milton  expressed  on  this  subject  in  '■'■Paradise 
Regained,^''  and  what  is  their  value? 


Chapter  II. 

On  the  subjects  treated  in  the  first  half  of  this  chapter, 
the  first  100  pages  of  Reuss'  Christian  Theology  in  the 
A2yostolic  Age  will  be  found  full  of  light. 

27.  It  would  be  useful  here  to  give  a  sketch  of  the 
history  of  the  interval  between  the  Old  and  New  Testament 
histories,  of  which  so  little  is  popularly  known.  See 
Ewald's  History  of  Israel^  vol.  v.,  or  Stanley's  Jeioish 
Churchy  vol.   iii.     On   the  various   modes  in    which   Rome 


158  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

ruled  subject  territories,  see  Ramsay's  Roman  Antiquities^ 
pp. 131  ff. 

22.  Synagogue  arrangements,  Farrar,  i.  221  ff.  The 
ritual  of  Presbyterian  churches  is  a  close  imitation  of  that 
of  the  synagogue,  whereas  Catholic  ritual  imitates  that  of 
the  temple.  See  Dods'  Presbyterianism  older  than  Chris- 
tianity. 

30,  31.  On  the  Pharisees,  see  Mozley's  remarkable  dis- 
course in  his  University  Sermoiis.  Farrar,  i.,  chap,  xxxi., 
will  supply  useful  illustration  of  what  is  said  in  the  text  in 
regard  to  the  Scribes.  A  fund  of  information  on  these 
paragraphs  in  Hausrath's  N'ew  Testament  Times, 

35.  A  somewhat  lengthened  lesson  might  here  be  intro- 
duced on  the  old  Testament  prophecies  and  types.  See 
Fairbairn's  Prophecy  and  Typology. 

45.  John  the  Baptist,  excellent  subject  for  class  essay. 

49.  Owen  has  a  remarkable  chapter  on  this  subject  in 
his  work  on  the  Holy  Spirit  (Book  II.  chap,  iv.) 

50.  Potuit  nan  peccare.^  or  JSfon  potuit  peccare  f  UU- 
man,  Sinlessness  of  tTesus,   and    Christiaii  Instructor  for 

.1830,  pp.  1-96,  and  118-224. 

51.  The  official  significance  of  the  Temptation  is  ex- 
plained in  the  text;  but  it  would  be  well  to  give  also  its 
personal  significance  for  the  character  of  Jesus  and  His 
relation  to  His  Father.  Temptation  to  unbelief,  presump- 
tion, and  pride.     Trench,  Gospel  Studies. 

53.  On  the  plan  of  Jesus,  see  Neander,  in  loc. 

26.  What  are  the  Apocrypha  ? 

31,  32.  Give  parallels  from  the  Jiistory  of  Christianity. 

33.  Compare  the  aspects  of  society  in  our  country  at  present  with 
those  of  Palestine  in  the  time  of  Christ. 

36.  Give  the  names  of  persons  wlio  are  said  to  have  been  waiting  for 

the  Messiah,  and  compile  from  tlie  Song  of  Mary  and  else- 
where an  outline  of  ichat  tlieir  expectatians  were. 


HINTS    AND    QUESTIONS.  159 

38.  Compile  from  scattered  references  in  the  Gospels  an  outline  of 
the  conception  which  the  scribes  and  tJie  populace  ent&i'tained 
of  the  Messiah  and  His  era. 

41.  Give  instances  of  m£n  who  have  achieved  a  great  life-work  in  a 

short  time  and  died  young. 

42.  It  Juis  been  maintained  that  Jesus  changed  His  plan^  because  He 

first  addressed  Himself  to  the  Jewish  nation  as  a  whole,  but 
aftericards  organized  the  Christian  Church  from  the  nucleus 
of  a  few  disciples.  WJiat  would  you  say  in  answer  to  such  a 
view  ? 

45.  Wlmt  was  the  difference  between  John's  baptism  and  Christian 

baptism  ? 

46.  Some  think  that  Jesus  and  John  had  met  before :  is  it  likely  ? 

On  'wlmt  grounds  may  it  be  supposed  that  the  dove  and  the 
voice  from  lieaven  were  perceived  only  by  Jesus  and  the  Bap- 
tist f 
49.  Collect  the  texts  ichich  speak  of  tlie  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
on  the  human  nature  of  Jesus. 

53.  Narrate  Milton's  account  of  the  Temptation  in  "-Paradise  Re- 

gained.'''' 

J)ivisi07is  of  the  Ministry. 

What  Andrews  says  an  this  subject,  p.  109,  is  very 
good  and  clear,  and  so  are  his  characterizations'  of  the  dif- 
ferent periods,  pp.  120,  167-173,  259,  296-301. 

54.  Sketch  of  the  Geography  of  Palestine.  See  Stanley, 
Sinai  and  Palestine j  Thompson,  The  Land  and  the  Book  j 
brief  sketch  in  Farrar,  p.  52  ff. 


Chapter    III. 


59.  There  were  two  cleansings  of  the  temple,  the  one 
at  the  beginning  and  the  other  at  the  close  of  the  ministry. 
Such  doable  accounts  of  similar  events  in  the  Gospels 
have  been   seized   upon  as  examples  of    the   tendency  in 


160  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

speech  to  multiply  one  event  into  two.  But  it  is  forgotten 
that  this  is  a  tendency  not  only  of  speech  but  of  action, 
and  that  when  a  person  has  done  anything  once,  there  is  a 
likelihood  that  he  will  do  it  again. 

The  Great  Feasts. — 1.  The  Passover,  held  in  April,  just 
before  the  harvest  began.  2.  Pentecost,  held  fifty  days 
after  the  Passover,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  corn  harvest 
and  before  the  vintage.  3.  The  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  held 
in  autumn  after  all  the  fruits  had  been  gathered  in.  4-  The 
feast  of  Dedication,  which  Jesus  once  attended,  took 
place  in  December. 

57.  Collect  the  sayings  of  John  about  Jesus,  and  of  Jesus  about 
John. 


Chapter  IV. 

On  Galilee,  see  Farrar,  i.  chap.  xii.  Neander's  account 
of  the  means  of  Jesus  is  very  valuable.  For  the  convenience 
of  teachers  who  may  wish  to  follow  out  in  detail  the  inci- 
dents of  each  period,  the  following  list  of  the  events  of 
this  year  may  be  given  (see  Andrews,  pp.  198  flf.  and  536): 

Second  call  of  Peter,  Andrew,  James,  and  John. 

Busy  Sabbath:    preaches  in   synagogue  of  Capernaum  and 

cures  demoniac;    heals  Peter's  mother-in-law,  and  cures 

many  after  sunset. 
Next  morning  goes  to  mountain  to  pray,  then  sets  out  on 

preaching  tour  in  the  neighboring  towns,  in  one  of  which 

He  cures  a  leper. 
Returns  to  Capernaum ;  heals  man  "  borne  of  four,"  forgiving 

his  sins;  accused  of  blasphemy;  walks  by  seaside  and 

teaches;  calls  Matthew;  accused  as  Sabbath-breaker  for 


HINTS    AND    QUESTIONS.  161 

allowing  His  disciples  to  pluck  ears  of  corn  and  for  heal- 
ing wilhered  hand  on  Sabbath. 
Retires  to  a  mountain ;  calls  the  Twelve ;  delivers  the  Sermon 

on  the  Mount. 
Again  in  Capernaum ;  heals  centurion's  servant. 
Another  preaching  tour;  raises  widow's  son  at  Nain;  receives 

message  from  Baptist  and  delivers  panegyric  on  him; 

dines  with  Simon  the  Pharisee,  and  is  anointed  by  the 

woman  who  was  a  sinner ;  parable  of  Two  Debtors. 
In  Capernaum  again ;  casts  out  dumb  devil ;  visited  by  His 

mother  and  brethren ;  teaches  from  ship. 
Crossing  the  lake,  He  stills  a  tempest;  cures  demoniacs  in 

country  of  Gadarenes. 
Back  in  Capernaum ;  Matthew's  feast ;  raises  Jairus'  daughter 

and  cures  woman  with  issue  of  blood. 
On  another  tour  of  the  Galilean  towns  He  revisits  Nazareth ; 

sends  forth  the  Twelve ;  hears  of  Baptist's  murder. 

76.  Some  of  the  many  questions  in  reference  to  the 
possibility  and  the  proof  of  miracles  would  naturally,  in  an 
extended  course,  be  treated  here;  see  Mozley  on  Miracles. 
There  can  not,  I  think,  be  reasonable  doubt  that  our  Lord 
gave  His  sanction  to  the  view  that  the  demoniacs  were 
actually  possessed  by  evil  spirits. 

80.  Connection  of  the  work  of  Christ  with  the  fate  of 
nature. 

84.  On  the  teaching  of  Jesus  many  good  remarks  will 
be  found  in  Harris'  Great  Teacher.  On  its  parabolic  form. 
Trench's  introductory  chapters  in  his  Parables  are  good. 
A  much  fuller  account  of  what  Jesus  taught  than  is  given 
in  the  text  would  be  very  desirable  in  an  extended  course, 
and  might  be  gathered  from  the  relative  portions  of  any  of 
the  handbooks  of  New  Testament  Theology  (Weiss,  Reuss, 
van  Oosterzee,  Schmidt). 

92,  94,  100,  109-113.  It  would  be  a  useful  exercise  for 
the  members  of  a  class  to  illustrate   these  paragraphs  by 
abundant  quotations  from  the  Gospels. 
L  7* 


162  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

103.   Christ's  method  of  dealing  with  inquirers. 

105.  On  the  apostolate,  see  Bruce,  Training  of  the 
Twelve. 

107.  Sketches  of  the  leading  apostles.  The  difficulty 
about  the  choice  of  Judas  is  only  a  fragment  of  the  larger 
difficulty  of  reconciling  the  foreknowledge  of  God  and 
man's  free  will. 

109.  For  some  of  the  remarks  on  the  character  of  Jesus 
I  am  indebted  to  Keim,  Geschichte  Jesu. 

114.  Ullm aim's  Sinlessness  of  Jesus. 

115.  Here  the  two  names  by  which  Jesus  called  Him- 
self—  Son  of  man  and  Son  of  God  —  should  be  explained. 

76.  Mention  as  many  great  and  good  men  as  you  can  w7w  ha/oe  been 

called  mad. 

77.  W?iat  reasons  may  he  suggested  why  Jesus  sometimes  used  means 

and  sometimes  dispensed  with  them  ? 

79.  What  proof  of  the  credibility  of  the  gospel  account  of  the  mira- 

cles of  Christ  is  afforded  hy  the  confession  that  John  worked 
Twne? 

80.  Is  it  correct  to  speak  of  the  miracles  of  Jesus  as  interruptions  of 

the  order  of  nature  ? 

81.  What  form  of  missionary  effort  seeks  to  imitate  both  the  preach- 

ing and  healing  activity  of  Christ  ? 

82.  Can  the  popular  notions  about  the  wicked  life  of  Mary  Magda- 

lene be  proved  from  the  Gospels  to  be  incorrect? 

83.  With  what  evidence  would  you  support  the  statement  that  Jesus, 

though  the  Man  of  Sorrows,  was  yet  the  most  joyful  of  men  f 
86.  What  portions  of  the  Old  Testament  specially  justify  this  des- 
'         cription  of  the  Oriental  mind  ? 
89.  Enumerate  the  parables  of  Jesus,  and  make  a  list  of  His  other 

most  remarkable  figures  of  speech. 

96.  How  would  you  account  for  the  great  difference  between  the  circle 

of  Christ's  ideas  recorded  by  the  Synoptists,  and  the  circle  of 
His  ideas  which  we  find  in  John? 

97.  Which  of  the  Evangelists  uses  the  phrase,  "  t?^e  kingdom  of 

hea/oen,''''  and  what  does  it  mean? 
103.  Enumerate  the  private  interviews  of  Jesus. 


HINTS    AND    QUESTIONS.  163 

108.  What  proof  of  their  Master's  supernatural  greatness  is  afforded 
by  the  character  and  achievements  of  the  Twelve  ? 

114.  What  conclusions  can  you  draw  from  the  fact  that  Jesus  was 

sinless  f 

115.  Prove  tlie  divinity  of  Christ  as  fully  as  possible  from  the  first 

three  Evangelists,  and  sJimo  that  it  is  a  complete  mistake  to 
allege  iJmt  it  is  taught  only  by  the  fourth  of  tlie  Evangelists. 


Chapter  V. 

The  events  of  this  year  were  the  following  : — 

Leaving  Capernaum,  He  crosses  the  lake ;  feeds  five  thousand ; 
walks  on  the  sea;  rescues  sinking  Peter. 

Again  in  Capernaum ;  discourse  on  bread  of  life ;  many  dis- 
ciples forsake  Him ;  He  says  that  Judas  has  a  devil ;  dis- 
cussion about  eating  bread  with  unwashen  hands. 

Long  journey  to  Tyre  and  Sidon,  where  He  cures  Syro-Phoeni- 
cian  woman's  daughter;  then  to  Decapolis,  where  He 
heals  a  deaf  man  and  feeds  four  thousand;  returns  to 
Capernaum. 

Leaves  it  again ;  cures  blind  man  at  Bethsaida ;  visits  Caesarea 
Philippi ;  the  great  confession ;  the  Transfiguration ;  cures 
demoniac  boy;  announces  His  death. 

Again  in  Capernaum ;  pays  tribute. 

Visit  to  Jerusalem  at  Feast  of  Tabernacles ;  teaches  in  temple ; 
attempt  to  arrest  Him ;  Nicodemus  seeks  justice  for  Him ; 
adulteress  brought  to  Him ;  heals  blind  man,  who  argues 
with  rulers ;  parable  of  Good  Shepherd. 

Final  departure  from  Galilee. 

Journey  towards  Jerusalem ;  John  and  James  wish  to  rain 
fire  on  a  Samaritan  village;  the  Seventy  sent  out;  journey 
through  Peraea;  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan;  the 
Lord's  Prayer;  dumb  demoniac  healed;  encounters  with 
Pharisees;  parable  of  Kich  Fool;  "signs  of  the  times;" 
heals  infirm  woman;  warned  against  Herod. 

At  Feast  of  Dedication  in  Jerusalem ;  visit  to  Bethany ;  nearly 
stoned  in  the  city. 


164  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST. 

Retires  to  Betliabara;  while  at  a  feast  in  a  Pharisee's  house 
on  the  Sabbath,  heals  dropsical  man,  and  speaks  parable 
of  Great  Supper;  several  parables  directed  against  Phari- 
sees. 

Raising  of  Lazarus. 

Retires  to  Ephraim ;  heals  ten  lepers ;  more  parables  against 
the  Pharisees ;  blesses  children ;  the  rich  young  man ; 
Salome's  request ;  Jericho — Bartimaeus,  Zaccheus ;  thence 
to  Bethany. 

Luke  gives  by  far  the  fullest  account  of  the  events  of 
the  period  between  the  final  departure  from  Galilee  and 
the  final  arrival  at  Bethany,  chaps,  ix.-xix. 

124-128.  It  would  be  a  good  exercise  for  the  pupils  to 
collect  texts  from  the  Gospels  illustrating  these  paragraphs. 

136.  The  effect  of  the  Baptist's  death  on  the  adherents 
of  Jesus  is  put  in  a  very  striking,  perhaps  exaggerated  way 
in  Philochristus. 

143.  At  Feast  of  Tabernacles  and  Feast  of  Dedication. 

• 
122.  HoiD  far   does  conscientiousness  justify  conduct?     Illustrate 

your  answer  l>y  historical  parallels   to  the  conduct  of  the 

Pharisees. 
129.  Can  you  show  from  the  Old  Testament  that  mirades  were  not 

necessarily  evidences  of  a  divine  mission  ? 


Chapter   Vlo 

Details  not  referred  to  in  the  text  :  — 

Supper  at  Bethany  and  anointing  of  Jesus  by  Mary ;  barren 
fig-tree  cursed;  second  purging  of  temple;  widow's 
mites ;  several  parables ;  details  of  parting  meeting  with 
the  apostles ;  the  portents  that  accompanied  His  death ; 
details  of  His  burial ;  restoration  of  Peter. 


HINTS    AND    QUESTIONS.  165 

145.  The  Passover  took  place  this  year  on  April  6th. 

146.  The  anachronism  of  using  the  days  of  the  Chris- 
tian week  will  be  condoned  for  the  sake  of  clearness. 

152.  I  can  not  adopt  the  theory  of  Judas'  career  ex- 
pounded in  De  Quincey's  well-known  and  brilliant  essay 
—  that  he  thought  Jesus  too  unworldly  and  hesitating,  and 
precipitated  Him  into  a  position  in  which  He  would  be 
compelled  to  exhibit  His  divine  glory,  but  with  no  thought 
that  He  would  suffer  Himself  to  be  executed.  Its  strong 
point  is  the  suicide  of  Judas,  which  is  held  to  have  shown 
a  kind  of  nobility  in  his  nature.  But  it  is  inconsistent,  I 
think,  with  his  peculation  and  his  kiss,  and  especially  with 
the  tone  in  which  Scripture  speaks  of  him. 

156.  Here  an  account  might  be  given  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  to  be  got  from  Josephus. 

160.  On  the  difficult  question  whether  it  was  the  Pas- 
chal supper  which  Jesus  ate  with  the  apostles,  and  whether 
John  places  the  crucifixion  on  the  same  day  as  the  other 
Evangelists,  see  Andrews,  368  ff.,  and  Farrar,  Excursus  x.; 
also  an  article  by  Rev.  G.  Brown  in  the  British  and  For- 
eign Evangelical  Review  for  October,  1879. 

169.  The  silence  of  Jesus. 

172.  On  the  legal  aspects  of  the  trial,  see  articles  by 
A.  Taylor  Innes,  Advocate,  in  Contemporary  Revieio, 
August  and  October,  1877. 

180.  Herod  was  ultimately  banished  by  Gaul, 

189.  Pilate  was  also  ultimately  deprived  of  his  position, 
and  is  said  by  Eusebius  to  have  at  length  killed  himself, 
"  wearied  with  misfortunes."  His  wife,  under  the  name  of 
Claudia  Procula,  is  included  among*  the  Catholic  saints. 

193.  The  cross  was  probably  of  the  form  in  which  it  is 
familiarly  represented,  though  sometimes  it  was  like  the 
letter  T  or  the  letter  X.     It  only  raised  the  victim  a  foot  or 


166  THE    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHKIST. 

two  above  the  ground.  The  soldier  was  able  to  reach  the 
lips  of  Jesus  with  a  hyssop-stalk. 

195.  The  circumstance  that  blood  and  water  flowed  from 
His  pierced  side  has  been  held  by  eminent  medical  authori- 
ties to  prove  that  Jesus  died  literally  of  a  broken  heart — 
broken  with  sorrow.  See  the  opinions  of  Sir  J.  Y.  Simp- 
son and  others  in  the  Appendix  to  Hanna's  Last  Day  of 
our  Lord^s  Passion. 

199.  With  the  argument  of  this  section  compare  Paley, 
Evidences  of  Christianity^  Part  i. 

201.  Details  of  Peter's  fall.  It  was  when  passing  from 
the  committee-room,  where  He  had  been  informally  tried, 
to  a  barrack-room,  where  He  was  detained  till  the  legal 
hour  for  opening  the  court  arrived,  that  "  Jesus  turned  and 
looked  upon  Peter." 

144.  Quote  a  passage  from  Acts  to  sTww  from  Turn  many  different 
countries  the  scattered  Jews  gathered  to  the  annual  feast. 

147.  The  meaning  of  Hosanna  and  of  Hallelujah  ? 

155.  Wlio  were  the  persons  not.  of  AbraJiam^s  seed  with  whom  Jesus 
came  in  contact  in  tJie  course  of  His  ministry  ? 

163.  Collect  the  texts  in  which  tlie  majesty  of  our  Lord's  appearance 
is  mentioned. 

181.  In  wJiat  points  was  tJie  trial  of  Paul  which  resulted  in  his  be- 
ing sent  to  Rome  similar  to  that  of  Jesus  ? 

194.  What  were  the  seven  last  sentences  of  Jesus  ? 

203.  WJiat  is  the  meaning  of  the  remark.,  that  the  Christian  Church 
is  the  best  biography  of  Christ  ? 


^'^^•^■■-  '"■       ■        ,       '  v.    A^r 


(y^ 


